Kotido Sub County chief killed in UPDF ambush against cattle rustlers
Maj Isaac Oware, the UPDF 3rd division spokesperson
What you need to know:
- President Museveni said cattle rustling which has become a security threat reemerged after most of the UPDF soldiers who had been deployed in the Sub-region were taken for training.
Some of the local leaders in Karamoja are suspected to be part of cattle rustlers who have wreaked havoc in the mineral-rich sub region bordering South Sudan and Kenya.
This was revealed after a Sub County chief from Kotido District was on Thursday night shot and killed in an ambush staged by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers against cattle rustlers in Abim District.
Aped Longole, the vice chairperson of Napumpum Sub County in Kotido District was shot dead as he was allegedly leading a team of Karimojong warriors who had raided cattle in Apeitolim Sub County in Napak District and driving them to Kotido. Maj Isaac Oware, the UPDF 3rd division spokesperson, said Longole and his allehged accomplices fell into an ambush laid by the joint forces of police and the army in Abim District.
"They succeeded to raid animals from Napak. So, as they were on their way to Kotido via Abim, they landed into our ambush and we killed two warriors. One of the two was the Sub County vice chairperson, "he said. Maj Oware said Longole was armed at the time of the shooting.“His gun was recovered with all the animals that they had raided,” he said.
Kotido District chairperson, Mr Paul Komol Kacheri Boy, said he was shocked to learn that some local leaders were involved in cattle rustling instead of fighting the illegal activity. On several occasions, the UPDF 3rd division commander, Brig Joseph Balikudembe, has been castigating local leaders from Karamoja for allegedly being part of cattle raiders in the sub region.
President Museveni said cattle rustling which has become a security threat reemerged after most of the UPDF soldiers who had been deployed in the Sub-region were taken for training. “Karamoja issue had been solved but came up again when we removed some of the soldiers for training. However, we're redeploying. Very soon you will hear the punishment we shall give to those fellows who have been disturbing our people in that area. That problem will be solved,” Mr Museveni said in his Easter message.
Karamoja -- a sparsely populated and underdeveloped region -- has been wracked for decades by insecurity due to tit-for-tat armed cattle raids between clans.
With a porous border and thriving illicit trade, the Karimojong nomadic communities have staged several often-fatal road ambushes and robberies in the lawless region.
The government has in the past conducted several security operations to retrieve illegal firearms from the community.
Some 170 illegal guns and more than 15,000 stolen cattle have been recovered since July last year, according to government figures.
At least 251 suspected cattle rustlers were killed last year in the sub-region by a joint force of police and the army, with most deaths attributed to forceful disarmament operations.
