A soldier opens a truck loaded with charcoal with charcoal on the Gulu-Nimule highway recently. PHOTO/EMMY DANIEL OJARA
A cordon and search operation has succeeded in abetting illegal trade in forest products in north[1]ern Uganda, authorities have said.
Since October, the joint operation by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Fourth Division and police has intercepted several charcoal dealers and impounded at least 80,000 bags of charcoal.
The operation involves cutting off the target area and searching it. The security officials have deployed on all roads leading out of northern Uganda and gone deeper into the forests where tree cutting and charcoal burning take place.
The impounded bags of charcoal are then burnt to ashes to deter the dealers from the businesses.
Major Peter Mugisa, the UPDF Fourth Division public information officer, said they have so far registered 75 percent success in implementing Presidential Executive Order Number 3 against charcoal trade.
He said: “We have now realised that instead of manning these checkpoints, let us go deep in the jungles where the source of the charcoal is, what we normally do is to burn all the stockpiles of the charcoal and also what we have impounded, we burn it completely to ashes.”
According to Major Mugisa, this is a message to whoever is dealing in charcoal that they should look for other means of getting money.
Trucks with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) seals have not been spared.
“So far, we have impounded three trucks with Uganda Revenue seals, so what we normally do is once we get suspicious of such vehicles, we coordinate with revenue officials to come and witness. Whenever we break these seals, we always find charcoal inside,” he said.
During the cordon and search operations, which are used in the military for counterinsurgency, at least 280 vehicles loaded with bags of charcoal impounded.
Major Mugisa said: “The number of vehicles loaded with charcoal has now reduced, initially we would impound up to 20 vehicles loaded with charcoal in a day, but at the moment we only impound one or two per checkpoint.’’The security, however, expressed dissatisfaction with political leaders, who they say are frustrating their efforts through connivance with the dealers to transport their charcoal.
“For instance, some of the vehicles that we have got and impounded, some have got Uganda Revenue Authority seals, others are using drone ve[1]hicles, that are meant to transport passengers, which are used in carrying charcoal,” Major Mugisa said.
Adding: “And also others are conniving with other local authorities to help them in transporting these charcoal, whereas others are using tuk-tuks (tri-motorcycles) and motorcycles, they put their two to three sacks and then they take to a certain destination where the trucks are waiting.”
On October 10, a vehicle with a URA seal heading to Kampala was intercepted at Akurukwe security checkpoint in Amuru District and found with more than 200 bags of charcoal.
“Sometimes vehicles loaded with charcoal contain fake URA seals to hoodwink our personnel at checkpoints,” Major Mugisa noted.
Mr Abbey Mawewere, the URA manager for Northern Uganda, said a similar case was registered four months ago but the staff was investigated and terminated.
“We had an incident which happened like four months ago where a staff of Madi Opei Customs in Lamwo district had something to do with that, it was investigated by our staff compliance team, and the staff as we speak now was dismissed from URA.’’
The UPDF says the operation being conducted in Amuru, Nwoya, and Adjumani districts seeks to eliminate corrupt agents who are allowing charcoal dealers to leave the region through bribery and extortion. “We will not sit back and watch charcoal business continue in northern Uganda, there is no room for charcoal business, we shall completely stop it,” Brig Gen Felix Busizoori, the UPDF 4th Division commander, told journalists recently.
Mr Michael Lakony, the Amuru District chairperson, expressed gratitude to the army for their dedication in combattingthe charcoal business, which, he noted, is threatening to the ecosystem.
Ms Paska Alanyo, the Amuru district forestry officer, said all efforts are being made to restore the depleted forests in the area.
Background
On May 27, Daily Monitor reported that by 2023, the districts of Gulu, Nwoya, and Omoro had lost a combined 2.8 thousand hectares of forest cover, an equivalent of 1.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions. It added that deforestation has led to changes in rainfall patterns, which in turn disrupt planting and affect crop yields. The northern region`s weather pattern has in the last two years been characterised by heavy rainfall, prolonged drought,
