Madi leaders reject Museveni directives on Apaa land conflict

During the meeting, the President reportedly okayed the establishment of a commission of inquiry to establish the actual boundaries for the disputed land, which is on the border between Adjumani and Amuru districts. 

The land  is claimed by the two districts and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). 
UWA says the disputed land is part of East Madi Wildlife Reserve. 

The government evicted people from the disputed land following several clashes between the Madi ethnic group from Adjumani and their Acholi neighbours from Amuru.

President Museveni in the Thursday meeting also reportedly instructed the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Wilson Mbadi, to en-force maximum security in the area and ensure that the attacks cease.

Agreed on
Sources, who attended the meeting, told Daily Monitor that the President also accepted their request to reopen health centres and schools in Apaa that were closed as well as grant Apaa a sub-county status directly under the central government subject to consulta-tion with the Prime Minister.

But the Madi cultural and political leadership of Adjumani rejected the move and warned that the Presidential directives could spark more tension among the Madi and the Acholi people living in the area.

The leaders said the outcomes of the President’s meeting with Acholi leaders were null and void since they were not involved. While addressing journalists in Adjumani Town yesterday, the leaders said they will not accept the proposal to degazette Apaa land since it is a protected area and to degazette it means that the leadership of the district have to consent.

“We reject and also disagree with the decision by the Acholi leaders and the President that the State Minister for Environment, Ms Be-atrice Anywar, led a team to investigate history of settlement in Apaa and the clashes because Ms Anywar is an Acholi and will not be neutral and impartial,” Mr Ben Anyama, the district chairman, said.

“We are also disagreeing with the decision reached to have a commission of inquiry which will be a appointed by Chief Justice [Al-phonse] Owiny Dolo. [Chief Justice] Owiny Dollo has been taking sides in the matters of Apaa,”  Mr Paulino Vuso, the chairman Madi elders forum, said.

Last week, security forces arrested 48 suspects in connection with the latest attacks on locals residing in the disputed Apaa land in Adjumani.

According to the army leadership, the attackers were armed with machetes, bows and arrows, while others carried sticks during the attacks in which 63 people were injured.

For example, 30 people were last week arrested during a crackdown by a joint police and military forces at Zoka B Village in Itirikwa Sub-county although it is established that all the detained suspects have been released unconditionally.

President Museveni’s move to meet Acholi leaders came after a statement issued by the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) during a press briefing in Gulu City in which its chairman, Mr Anthony Akol, also area MP for Kilak North, gave government one week to settle the impasse.

During the brief, Mr Akol threatened that they would mobilise the Acholi people to avenge the attacks if government failed to intervene within that ultimatum.

Among those who attended the meeting were Chief Justice Owiny Dollo, Relief and Disaster Preparedness minister Hilary Onek, APG chairman Anthony Akol, and Amuru District chairman Michael Lakony.

Mr Simon Suru Baru, the clan chief of Pakele, said government needs to go slow with its moves of taking any action in Apaa and in-stead carry out comprehensive consultation.

“We are all stakeholders and if a complete solution has to be reached, government should not engage Acholi leaders only since it makes us think otherwise,” Mr Baru said.

Issues raised 
“According to the President, the commission will equally establish whether there were human settlements in Apaa by 1986 but will also establish whether the area is critical for conservation or not,”  Mr Akol said.

The APG chairman said they requested that Apaa be declared a sub-county and that its management be directly under the central gov-ernment until the matter is resolved.

“This would mean that the schools, police, medical facilities for that place should come from the central government. Fortunately, he accepted the idea but said he needed to consult with the prime minister and the other technocrats on operationalising it,” Mr Akol said.

Mr Lakony said they had a separate meeting afterwards with Chief Justice Owiny Dollo where he promised to follow up on the issues generated at the meeting.

“We are only now asking the Acholi community to remain united and avoid politics out of our engagement with the state because we have seen people on social media already attacking and rebuking us for meetings the President over ill intentions,” he said. 

Background

In 2015, government started demarcating administrative boundaries between Amuru and Adjumani districts to restore calm among communities on the disputed land.  In 2017, the land was handed over to Adjumani officials, sparking off a new series of clashes among the two communities over the ownership of the land with each claiming it.

In June 2017, 10 people died and many others were injured after clashes broke out between the Acholi and Madi communities, with the Acholi suffering the largest numbers of casualties.  A year later, a committee led by the then Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda was formed to handle the matter.