MOROTO – Joint security forces have netted 2,803 suspects and recovered 612 guns and,3,998 ammunition in the ongoing operation to rid the Karamoja Sub-region of deadly cattle raids and criminality.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces [UPDF] 3rd Division Spokesperson, Maj Isaac Oware, said the operation “Usalama Kwa Wote” which was launched on July 13, 2021, has registered several achievements in Karamoja Sub-region, including recovering the stolen livestock.
“For the last one year we have arrested 2,803 suspected criminals and 859 have been convicted by Division Court Martial sitting in Moroto district for various offences including murder, possession of firearms among others. 1, 481 suspects are still on remand,” Maj Oware said.
He added that over 38,000 livestock recovered and handed over to owners,” Maj Oware said.
Oware said operations are targeting criminal elements including those that are armed.
Commenting on the guns within the communities in Karamoja, the Woman Member of Parliament for Moroto, Stella Atyang called for the enforcement of Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] between Uganda and Kenya aimed at disarming the warriors on both sides of the border .
She appealed to the Turkana County leadership in Kenya to retrieve and revisit some of the MoUs to form modalities and disarm their locals.
The 3rd UPDF Division Commander, Brig Gen. Joseph Balikudembe noted that much as the “Usalama Kwa Wote” operations have registered significant achievements since July 2021, the region faces the challenge of guns being in the hands of some warriors, which he said undermines total pacification.
“For about five years, Karamoja communities have continued to access weapons and ammunition from across the border and have had confrontations with security forces,” said Balikudembe.
The Resident District Commissioner Napak, Denis Okori reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensure security in the Karamoja Sub-region.
Last month, Security operatives in the sub-region decried the alleged recruitment of children by suspected cattle rustlers in the sub-region.
An unspecified number of children have been reported dead during UPDF operations against the suspected cattle rustlers in the mineral-rich region.
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