Prime
Govt to install security system on Lake Albert
Security officials monitor activities at the shores of Lake Albert in Hoima District in 2017. PHOTO/File
What you need to know:
The system is crucial in ensuring safety of Ugandan fishermen on Lake Albert and protecting vital resources in the region.
Government has established a surveillance security system to monitor and reduce incidents of suspected Congolese militia activities on Lake Albert.
The decision comes after complaints of terrorising and kidnapping fishermen as well as loss of fishing gear.
While addressing a security meeting at Kaiso Landing Site in Kabaale Sub-county, Hoima District, the head of the Fisheries Protection Unit, Lt Col Dick Kaija, said the system aims at monitoring and curbing illegal actions of Congolese Militia and fishermen who trespass into Ugandan waters.
‘‘This will solve the issue of Congolese Militia kidnapping the Ugandan fishermen and [deter] the Congolese fishermen [from] trespassing into the Ugandan waters,’’ Col Kaija said.
He said the security system is currently in its final stages of construction.
Mr Robert Ginyera, a fisherman at Mbegu Landing Site, expressed gratitude to the government for taking proactive measures.
“We have lost many of our colleagues, and our fishing gear has been confiscated from us by people from Congo but this time we are happy that our government is working on plans of installing a surveillance security system, this will reduce such cases,” he said.
Some incidents
In November last year, four police officers from the marine police unit at the Kanara Police Post were attacked while patrolling Lake Albert in Ntoroko District.
The Ntoroko District Police commander, Justus Tashobya, said two of them went missing with four guns and one marine boat.
This incident, along with other previous tragic events, underscores the necessity of enhancing security measures in the region.
In 2018, seven Ugandan fishermen were reportedly shot dead by Congolese militiamen near the Kaiso Landing Site in Buseruka Sub-county, Hoima District.
Mr Pius Wakabi, the Bugahya County MP, acknowledged the suffering of the fishing communities.
He said the surveillance system would prove effective in curbing these attacks.
Mr Rogers Mbabazi, the Hoima resident district commissioner, also commended the government’s initiative to bolster security on the lake.
Lake Albert
Lake Albert plays a vital role in anchoring key oil industry projects, such as the King Fisher project in the Buhuka Landing Site, where China National Offshore Oil Corporation is actively drilling oil.
As the surveillance security system nears completion, residents and fishermen are optimistic about safety in the area.
The Congolese militia have been a constant menace since 2017, perpetrating violence against Ugandan fishermen on Lake Albert.
