Balaalo eviction kicks off in north

Balaalo herdsmen have been ordered out of the greater northern Uganda as a presidential directive to evict them starts to bite, amid pockets of hostilities against them by the local communities. 

In Amuru District, for example, a group of security operatives led by the Amuru Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Stephen Odong Latek, at the weekend combed villages in Okidi Parish where President Museveni visited recently, to remind the herdsmen with unfenced land, and those without water sources, to leave.

Several herdsmen that the leaders met appealed for a week’s grace period to finish fencing their land, which process was incomplete. 

However, Mr Latek insisted that it was only the President to extend the grace period since they were working on his orders.

“We shall first evict all of them and they can be vetted later to come back,” he said. 
Whereas the exercise overseen by security leaders kicked off peacefully on Saturday evening, two separate incidents of violence and vandalism against the Balaalo herdsmen have been recorded in Amuru and Gulu districts.

The army arrested and handed over to police at least 15 people suspected of causing chaos.

Maj Telesphor Turyamumanya, the UPDF 4th Division spokesman, said the suspects were taken to Gulu Central Police Station (CPS).  A police detective at Gulu CPS, who declined to be named to speak freely, said the suspects will be arraigned in court today. 

“The suspects were majorly arrested from Lugore Village, Palaro Sub-county in Gulu District while others were arrested from Amuru,” he said. 

“Their files have been processed and they will be produced in court to answer charges of criminal trespass, theft, and malicious damage,” Maj Turyamumanya added.

Following the launch of the eviction exercise on Saturday, more than 1,400 head of cattle belonging to the herdsmen had been assembled at Okidi Holding Ground in Amuru District by 2pm yesterday. 

In a November 7 letter addressed to the RDCs in West Nile, Acholi and Lango sub-regions,  the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Ms Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, directed the RDCs to ensure discipline and peace during the  eviction. 

“You will supervise the general implementation of the above directive with the support and technical guidance of the District Veterinary Officer. Ensure that law and order are maintained and that the District Security Committee executes all planning activities lawfully,” she wrote.

“Identify all Balaalo in your respective districts and assess the fence and water on their farm, identify all “Balaalo” on government land, identify holding grounds for the cattle ready to be exited, identify location (s) for cattle market for those who would like to sell and escort the animals to the respective holding grounds and subsequently out of the district,” she added. 

The minister also directed the RDCs to ensure that all permitted animals must go through the established police/UPDF checkpoints and the numbers on the vehicles and the permits must tally. 

According to the animals’ exit order, cattle from Otuke, Kwania and Apac are to exit via the Otuke-Lira-Masindi Port route while those from Arua, Madi-Okollo, Terego, Moyo, and Pakwach must go through Pakwach bridge checkpoints and will be recorded at Masindi port and Karuma bridge checkpoints respectively. 

Whereas animals from Nwoya and Amuru are exiting through the Karuma bridge checkpoint, a ferry has been set to transport animals that will cross and go through the Adjumani-Atiak-Gulu-Kamdini-Karuma route. 

In the ministerial directive, animals from Lamwo, Kitgum Pader and Gulu must use the Kitgum-Acholibur-Gulu- Kamdini-Karuma route and go through the Layibi checkpoints up to the Karuma bridge checkpoint.

Last week, on November 20, Ms Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecutions, directed all prosecutors in the eviction implementation areas to maximally support the exercise. 

“This is to bring this to your attention and direct you to render the necessary support to the RDCs as they implement the presidential directive, the grace period for this directive expires on November 25,” she wrote. 

According to Ms Abodo, the Minister for the Presidency, Ms Milly Babalanda, directed all the RDCs in the affected districts to ensure that the directive is implemented without any excuse.

“The minister has also instituted a team of RDC secretariat commissioners headed by Maj Martha Asiimwe to supervise and monitor the RDCs during this exercise,” she said.

On November 3, President Museveni visited Okidi Village in Amuru District where he directed a team comprising Ms Kwiyucwiny and the 4th Division Commander; among others, to ensure the Balaalo who bought or hired land, but have not fenced it off nor have water for their cattle on the land, and those in government land of Lakang, Aswa and Maruzi Ranches and Got Apwoyo Reserve,  leave those areas in three weeks. 

The (security) implementation committee is now evicting cattle keepers from government ranches in Maruzi and Aswa ranches in Apac and Pader districts respectively while those settled on government lands in Got-apwoyo and Lakang areas in Nwoya and Amuru districts respectively have also started exiting.

The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Apac, Mr George Abudul, said the district security committee recently held a meeting with the head of the Balaalo and gave them a period of two weeks to voluntarily leave the district.

“We have already identified them and where they are grazing their animals. The window for Baalalo to leave is already on and we are supervising their movement and they must leave before the expiry date of the two weeks,” he said last Friday.

The RDC warned that any Balaalo who refuses to leave the district voluntarily will be evicted forcefully.
“Those who will defy the order we shall go and pick their animals and take them to the holding centre, and if they fail to take their animals away from the holding centre, we shall auction them and the money will go to the government,” he added.

In Kwania, the chairperson, Mr Geoffrey Alex Ogwal Adyebo, said the district security committee is set to sit for a meeting to come up with the plans for evicting the Balaalo.

“We already have a programme to go to Chawente Sub-county where there are a few Balalo and meet them and the local leaders to find out how many Balaalo we have and their animals,” he said.

Mr Robert Adyama, the Otuke RDC, said: “We are organising a security meeting to handle it because we need to sit down as the security committee and come up with a clear plan of getting them out of the district.”

In most parts of West Nile such as Madi Okollo, Onongi, Rhino Camp, and Alwi areas in Pakwach District, they were evicted four years ago. But some of them returned stealthy and settled in communities.

It remains unclear if the current directive would enable the Balaalo, who now own land in some of the areas they settled, to leave forever. 

The Balaalos have been accused of grazing on people’s farms hence destroying crops and in some instances allegedly using ill-gotten guns to threat locals.

Mr Hakim Andiga, a resident of Madi Okollo Sub-county, said: “Some of these people acquired land titles. This directive is temporary because it will not bite. It will be implemented within a short time and later relaxed.”

The chairman of the land board for Arua City, Mr Bernard Atiku, said the Balaalos were taking advantage of the peace that returned to invade Northern Uganda. “Where were the Balaalos when many people were driven in camps during the time of insurgency? They only waited for peace to return and settle in large numbers. This issue should be handled thoroughly,” he said.

Compiled Tobbias Jolly Owiny, Bill Oketch, Santo Ojok & Felix Okello Warom