In the night of April 2nd, 2022, the notorious Karimajong cattle rustlers shot and injured two persons in Omokori village, Kapelebyong district, but the duo survived with severe injuries.
The yet to be identified victims, a man and a woman were admitted to Tororo Referral Hospital, where they are receiving treatment.
Worse still during that same night, armed karimajong thugs, reportedly from Kotido district made off with about two hundred cattle.
On March 31st, 2021, angry locals in the same area stormed the RDC’s office with a dead body of a one Daniel Otai, who had been killed by cattle rustlers.
This was in demonstration against what they termed “government laxity and slow response” to the spate of violence in Karamoja region.
All these are just a few, in a series of tragic incidents that have been occuring in the Karamoja region, in the districts of Abim, Katakwi, Pader, Kapelebyong and others, masterminded by the resurgent armed Karimajong cattle rustlers.
Swift and effective government intervention is needed to end the ongoing chaos in Karamoja region, which has claimed lives of many locals. Security personnel have not been spared either.
The Karamoja question has now graduated into a humanitarian crisis, with most locals fleeing their homes and taking refugee in nearby mosques, churches and cinema halls.
It is a seemingly brilliant idea to have the ministry of Karamoja affairs, but at this moment in time, it seems the minister has also lost track of the real problems affecting the region, echoing earlier warnings by regional MPs about the possibility of Karamoja crises spiraling of control, should the minister be handpicked out side the region.
A resident of Karapata village, Kaabong district only identified as Lokong told us that he now has nothing left, of his a thousand cows he once owned. They were all taken away by raiders from the communal kraal in November last year.
“When the raiders come here, they find only children protecting the cows, there is no one to scare them away because people have been disarmed,” said Lokong.
The nine districts of semi-arid Karamoja, enjoyed a decade of relative peace after the army disarmed gun-wielding rustlers in the early 2000s.
But in the last two years the raiders have returned, killing people and stealing the cattle, worsening livelihoods of the locals.
Kapelebyong District Chairperson Okorikin Francis largely blames the ongoing crisis on government. He intimated to this Website that LDU deserters, who were armed and trained by government last year are responsible for the crisis.
“Last year, government made a tactical error. They trained and armed LDUs in order to beef up UPDF ranks. Most of these people deserted the force, together with the uniforms and guns. It is these guns they are using to terrorize people,” Okorikin said.
“Over the last five days, our security situation is getting worse and worse. The community is under tension, lives lost etc, it is like as if we are in a war. This is real war,” he complained.
State intervention has greatly registered failures. Despite pledges by the Commander of UPDF land forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to solve the Karamoja question, violence has persisted.
Persistent cattle raids, characterised by brutality, killings, looting has culminated into internal displacenent of people, and generated a toxic mix of anger and frastration among people in the region
This is worsened by the fact that the raiders employ advanced tactics and have pretty improved facilities like motocycles, guns and mobile telephones.
One resident of Abim district who preffered anonymity commented on the current situation and this is what he had to say.
“The situation in the region is too bad, but government is not even thinking about it, bullets used are from nakasongola how did the karamojong warriors get the bullets from military. If it was Bobi or Besigye having a plan of visiting Teso hmmmm you would see all the batalion here right now we are crying nobody is listening. God help this region,” he said.
He seconded direct appeals to government to immediately step up deployment in boarder communities and clean the mess, once and for all.
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