UPDF foils planned attack on Apaa residents

AMURU – The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has foiled a planned attack on residents of Apaa by a group of people from Adjumani district for invading Apaa township.

The group comprising of 13 people who were on Tuesday intercepted by the UPDF while tilling the land in Tee Yaa village are reportedly part of a larger group that had planned to invade Tee Yaa village in Apaa township.

Santo Okot, a resident of Apaa says on Friday last week, they received information of meetings held four times by the Madi Community planning to invade and evict the Acholi Community living in Apaa.

He says on Tuesday this week, the group that locals suspected to be spies invaded Tee Yaa village injuring two people as they started tilling the land on a large scale before being chased by the UPDF who were deployed in Apaa.

“The plan of the Madi Community is to evict all of us who live here and take over the land. The 13 are part of the team that was sent to see and report back to the larger group before they could continue with their plan of invading Apaa,” Okot said.

Michael Lakony, the LCV Chairperson of Amuru district says he has received several calls from the community about the planned invasion and attack on the people living in Apaa.

According to Lakony, the attacks on Apaa residents have been planned long ago and he claims that he believes the leaders in Adjumani are in the know of these plans.

Lakony says they have now resorted to calling for vigilance from the members of the community and to alert the security personnel for shift action.

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Lieutenant Ahmad Hassan Kato, the Gulu 4th Division Army Spokesperson says they received rumors from Apaa and Acholiber that a big number of the Madi had crossed to Tee Yaa village, a few kilometers from Acholiber to attack the Acholi residing in that area. He says the alleged group had pangas, bows, and arrows among other dangerous items.

Kato says it turned out to be false. However, they found 13 Madi Community members of young men camped in a big field tilling land on a large scale contrary to what they were informed earlier.

“We could not treat the allegation lightly as we dispatched our forces to rush to Tee Yaa village to assess the situation after thorough investigations, we took their particulars and sent them back to Adjumani so as to avoid any predicaments,” Kato said.

Kato says, the UPDF shall always be available to ensure that peace prevails between the two communities until the government gets in to sort the land dispute between the two communities.

Apaa township has been at the center of a series of invasions and attacks between the Acholi Community in Amuru and Madi Community in Adjumani district. The attacks have left more than 15 people dead, scores injured and properties destroyed.

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