KARAMOJA (Uganda), April 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least seven civilians are among 20 people shot dead in the ongoing security crackdown targeting cattle rustlers, who are partly being blamed for the emerging pockets of insecurity within the greater Karamoja region.
Security agents shot 13 armed rustlers in a robust joint security operation in the past week where a total of 226 head of cattle were recovered from the rustlers, according to Police publicist Fred Enanga.
A total of 448 goats and sheep, eight guns and 13 ammunitions were also recovered, according to Enanga.
While addressing a security conference at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Nakawa division, Enanga said: “96 armed thugs were arrested.”
Enanga who was flanked by his deputy, Claire Nabakka, the Criminal Investigations Directorate publicist, Charles Mansio Twiine and Luke Owoyesigyire (Kampala Metropolitan) said four operatives were injured during the exchange of gunfire.
Last week, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) Commander of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issued an ultimatum to cattle rustlers who were linked to the death of soldiers and geologists.
“As land forces we are giving an ultimatum to the Turkana! They were partly responsible for the death of my soldiers (and our geologists) a few days ago. If they do not leave Uganda immediately, they will get what they are looking for. We have warned them,” Kainerugaba said.
Earlier, the UPDF spokesperson, Brig. Felix Kulayigye, on Tuesday blamed the recent killing of three geologists from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the two UPDF soldiers on March 21, in Moroto on rustlers that entered Uganda from Kenya in search of pastures and cattle.
Since last year when the UPDF launched Operation Usalama Kwa Wote to flush out cattle rustlers from Karamoja region, Kulayigye said 309 people have been killed, 184 guns recovered, and 1,792 arrested. President Yoweri Museveni has assured the Karimojong and neighbouring communities of Teso, Lango and Sebei that have suffered at the hands of Karimojong rustlers that “this will soon come to an end”.
During the conference, Enanga said: “The army, Police and immigration officers had heavily deployed in southwestern Uganda screening through several refugees currently fleeing the current M23 incursion in eastern Dr Congo.”
On Tuesday, last week, eight MONUSCO peacekeepers were killed in the eastern part of DR Congo.
MONUSCO and Congolese officials said the six Pakistanis, a Russian and a Serbian national were killed when a Puma helicopter they were travelling in was shot at by M23 rebels and crashed in the jungles of eastern DR Congo.
The UN peacekeepers were travelling for a mission in Rutshuru in North Kivu province where Congolese armed forces were battling M23 rebels. — NNN-AGENCIES