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Suspected South Sudanese gunmen kill one in Kitgum
Gunmen from South Sudan kill several people from the border points with neighboring countries annually. Uganda's armed forces have asked people to be vigilant. REPRESENTAIONAL PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- About eight of the gunmen were armed with AK47 assault rifles while four had spears and pangas used to seriously injured three other farmers.
A suspected South Sudanese armed gang Wednesday morning killed at least one person, injured many and stole about nine head of cattle in Northern Uganda’s Kitgum District, security said.
Kitgum Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mr William Komakech identified the slain peasant farmer as Ms Paska Atingo, 50, from Akilok Central Village in Orom East Sub-county.
“The woman died at the scene from injuries sustained on the head and other body parts after the attackers cut her several times with a panga,” he said.
According to him, about eight of the gunmen were armed with AK47 assault rifles while four had spears and pangas used to seriously injured three other farmers.
“The gunmen had also abducted five people but the army pursued and rescued the civilians. The cattle was not recovered,” RDC Atingo informed.
One severely injured victim of the morning attack in Goona North Village, Kwarayo parish in Kiteny Sub-county, was transferred from Namokora Health Centre IV to Kitgum Hospital “for better management.”
“I am just from visiting him in the hospital. He is complaining of serious pain in his abdomen,” Kiteny LC5 councilor Mr Ronald Komakech said of the man only identified as Mr Ocira who was stabbed with a bayonet.
Security officials say most of the victims were in Kabongun farmland near the Uganda-South Sudan border at the time of the attack.
“What happened in Kabongun was very unfortunate because we don’t have an army detachment there,” RDC Komakech remarked.
He said the location of the incident was very far from the only three army detachments in the area at Kiteny and Orom East.
“That is why it took quite long for soldiers from one of the detachments to respond and pursue the criminals,” he emphasized.
Residents along the Uganda-South Sudan border in Kitgum and Lamwo Districts have in recent times suffered from multiple incursions by purported South Sudanese gunmen who kill people and loot.
Uganda’s army previously aimed to establish a massive barracks in the area but the move was blocked by politicians and locals saying “UPDF was plotting to grab land.”
“Politicians in Kiteny need to revise their earlier incitement of local people to refuse to give land to the UPDF for a barracks,” RDC urged.
