KALANGALA: Local fishermen accuse Tanzanians of invading Ugandan territory
KALANGALA – Fishing activities in some small islands of Lake Victoria in Kalangala district face disruptions, with the Ugandan fishermen accusing Tanzanians of attacking them and stealing their fishing equipment, as well as killing two local fishermen.
The two Ugandan fishermen reported to have been killed by the Tanzanian invaders are; Kamadi Kiberu of Kyamuswa Subcounty and Gaster Ouma of Bubeke Subcounty, all islands in Kalangala district.
Local defence operatives told journalists on Sunday that the bodies of the two victims were retrieved from the lake and buried at their ancestral homes.
They said the fights between the two sides are common in the small Islands of Nkose, Miyana, Lujaabwa, Bubeke and other areas in Mazinga Subcounty, Kyamuswa and Bufumira Subcounty.
One of the community leaders at Nkose, who is also a publicist for the fishing community in the area, John Ssembuule, told journalists in Kalangala that the Tanzanian fishermen have a habit of stealing boat engines belonging to Ugandans.
“We have lost 9 out of 15 horsepower engines. The suspects in these cases are the Tanzanian fishermen,” he said.
He said they have fought the Tanzanians at least five times in a space of two weeks after the latter launched attacks aimed at stealing the fishing equipment. The attackers reportedly come from Ukerewe Islands in Tanzania.
The Tanzanian islanders were also accused of stealing the fishing gears, several tons of fish, and other items including at least nine onboard boat engines, some of which cost Shs 12 million.
The Uganda fishermen accused the area police of not helping them. They said the marine police does not access the areas, the reason why Tanzanians find it easy to attack the locals.
One Ugandan fisherman identified as Cosma Mujabi, further accused the security officers in the area of conniving with the Tanzanian bandits to obstruct justice when the suspects are arrested.
He pointed out one case, in which a Tanzanian national was arrested while trying to rob the fishermen inside the Ugandan territory. “Our police only granted him bond and handed him over to his relatives in Tanzania, without any precautionary warnings,” he said.
The District Woman Member of Parliament Hellen Nakimuli has written to the Minister of Internal Affairs Gen. Kahinda Otafiire to intervene and save the Ugandans.
In her letter, Nakimuli noted that, “The theft is done by people from Tanzania that border Mazinga Subcounty with the help of some security operatives. Many of the stolen outboard engines have been traced in Bukoba in Tanzania.”
Nakimuli noted that many of the fishermen have stopped fishing due to the attacks by Tanzanians, which she said, has affected the local trade as some fishermen have grounded their boats in fear for their lives.
Under the East African regional integration, individual countries are charged with the responsibility to fight piracy in their territories, although there is room for regional collective efforts.
https://thecooperator.news/central-uganda-fishing-groups-form-union/
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