Foreigners among 27 loggers arrested inside Zoka Forest

Five foreign nationals are among 27 alleged illegal loggers arrested during a joint security operation in Zoka Central Forest at the weekend, the Daily Monitor has learnt.

In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, Mr Jesus Iranya, the chairperson of Itirikwa Sub-county where the forest is located, said: “A joint UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Forces), police, NFA (National Forestry Authority), and Itirikwa Sub-county local council leaders security operation in east Madi wildlife reserve and Zoka Central Forest yesterday saw 27 people arrested. While 22 are Ugandans, three were Rwandese while two were Congolese.”

Those arrested include Silvester Emansi, Isaiah Kazibwe, Patrick Jingo, Fred Kato, Lawrence Kaweesi, Paddy Ssembatya, Muheta Zziwa, John Kasozi, Brian Mulinda, among others.

Mr Iranya said the operation, which was led by the UPDF sector commander, Lt Col Robert Koch, followed concerns by the sub-county security team over the number of people illegally settling in protected areas around the forest.

He gave an example of Gurugulu Village, where a group of more than 20 Banyarwanda-speaking groups have pitched camp.

 “These Banyarwanda speakers have no identity and security is still vetting them. They are settled inside the reserve about 10km away from Apaa Health Centre II which was closed and what they do best is logging for timber and charcoal burning,” he said.

Efforts to get more details on the operation from Lt Col Koch were futile as his known numbers were unavailable.

 Mr William Amanzuru, the coordinator of Friends of Zoka, a pressure group formed to preserve the forest and participated in the security operation, said: “We are working on more operations. Many of these illegal settlers are inside there in extreme locations that the forest patrol teams don’t reach but what they do inside there is harvest timber and charcoal illegally for sale.”

Mr Peter Data Taban, the Adjumani Resident District Commissioner, said they hope to arrest more people.

“We have the 27 in custody but I cannot disclose to you where we are holding them because we are still scrutinising them since many things including their identities are not clear to us,” Mr Taban said.

He added: “We have serious security threats in that place and it is detrimental to speak more details with you. We are trying to scrutinise the people who have come there from different parts of the country and their identity is not clear and we are targeting to arrest more,” Mr Taban added.

Last week, Madi Paramount Chief Stephen Drani Izakare asked his subjects residing in the contested Apaa area to consider voluntary relocation to alternative areas that the chiefdom has prepared for them.

Mr Drani said the chiefdom wants to save its subjects from becoming victims of criminal activity and the possible forceful eviction by the government.

He added that the chiefdom has got information that some of the settlers are criminals from other countries.

“They (criminals) are coming from Congo, Rwanda, etc. These are potentially bad people, and you know what currently happens in terms of national security. That is why we are hastening to offer our people new alternatives before things get out of hand.”

Background

In June 2022, locals of Itirikwa Sub-county stormed the central forest reserve and set ablaze more than 80 makeshift structures constructed by the settlers forcing them to flee.

Later in November 2022, the residents recovered at least 1,128 pieces of timber from an illegal logging camp inside Zoka Central Forest Reserve.

The locals mobilised themselves and conducted a patrol inside the forest following a failed response from the NFA and police whom they had notified of the sounds of power saws humming inside the forest.