Karamoja disarmament exercise nets 80 cattle rustlers

Over the previous 10-days of the disarmament exercise undertaken by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) of the police force in the Karamoja sub-region, at least 80 more armed rustlers have been detained.

Following widespread livestock theft and deaths in the districts of Nakapiripirit, Moroto, Karenga, and Kaabong, the joint security teams launched a two-pronged disarming exercise on July 14. The arrests in Karamoja over the last month, according to Defence deputy spokesperson Lt Col Ronald Kakurungu, have brought the total number of suspects to 350.

Many of the accused have already been before the Division Court Martial, according to Kakurungu, while others are awaiting arraignment and trial. He also said they found 57 firearms, but a forensic test revealed that the most of them were brought in by pastoralists from Kenya and South Sudan, with only two of them taken by escapees from the Moroto government prison in September of last year.

Pastoralists from Kenya and Sudan have a bilateral arrangement with Uganda to come and graze in Karamoja, especially during dry seasons in their respective countries. However, according to the UPDF, some of them have broken the deal and entered with guns.

“We’ve found 57 firearms and 350 ammunition. In addition, we were able to apprehend 332 illegal armed warriors. A division Court Martial is hearing their case. It’s a two-pronged disqualification exercise. We engage in both forced and voluntary exercise. “We ask individuals to surrender their guns and be forgiven,” Kakurungu stated. Security forces have enlisted the support of elders from the Karamoja region to persuade their people to surrender their weapons. People who voluntarily surrender their weapons have been given certifications by the troops, and they will be helped to benefit from government livelihood enhancement initiatives.

In a related development, Crime Intelligence has stepped up operations against suspected livestock thieves in the cattle corridor areas of Kiboga, Kyankwanzi, and Luweero, among others. Sewaya Henry, Lumbye Issa alias Nick, Sharif Mawanda alias Ssalongo, Muwonge Ashraf alias Kifampa, Mayanja Mubarak, Semata Swaibu, and Kasiba Fazil are the seven suspects nabbed in the cattle corridor, according to Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga.

The suspects, according to Enanga, include Kampala, Nansana, and Kyebando locals who have been collaborating with criminals in the communities they have terrorized. CI gathered information from residents and apprehended Sewaya Henry, the initial suspect, who eventually disclosed his alleged accomplices.

“They had kidnapped animals from Ntamwete Charles and Mwesigye Livingstone’s farms,” he said. They’d butcher the animals and sell the meat to eateries for a reasonable price. We strongly warn individuals to refrain from purchasing meat on the illegal market. It makes its way to the marketplaces, which is quite dangerous because its health status is unknown,” Enanga said.