Another Ugandan killed on L. Albert by gunmen from DR Congo

Another Ugandan killed on L. Albert by gunmen from DR Congo

NEBBI. Gunmen on Sunday shot dead a Ugandan fisherman on Lake Albert over unclear reasons.
Mr Wathum Mundu, 30, a fisherman and a resident of Dei B in Panyimur Sub-county in Nebbi district was shot dead by plain clothed gunmen believed to be from DR Congo.
According to one of the survivor, Mr Ozelle Wathum, a resident of Dei, they were arrested by three armed men reportedly from DRC before one of their colleagues was shot dead.

“As we were busy casting our nets in the water, three plain clothed gunmen approached us, put all of us at gun point and shot dead our colleague over unclear reasons. They were all armed with AK 47,” he said.
He said they were ordered to face the ground before their colleague was shot in the process.

The LC3 chairman of Panyimur Sub-county, Mr Shaban Ofoi while meeting community members of Dei on Sunday condemned the shooting and called for immediate intervention of the two governments to settle the matter.
“Although the killing is the first of its kind, we believe there is need to stop such vice and live in harmony,” he said.
He said most of the fishermen operating within Panyimur Sub-county are faced with a lot of challenges including arrest, intimidation and capture of their boats and property by security operatives from the DRC.

The Resident District Commissioner, Ms Bessie Alijong, said, “These kind of acts are ruining bilateral relations between the two countries yet we want to ensure that there is free cross border trade with cordial relationship.”
The incident comes barely two weeks after Congolese soldiers entered Uganda’s territory on Lake Albert and shot four police marines while they were patrolling the border.
Three of the officers died on spot while the other was arrested and taken to Congo. He was freed and handed over Uganda after the outgoing State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Okello Oryem said Uganda would use military force against Democratic Republic of Congo forces if attacks on its citizens on Ugandan soil ever re-occurs.

The killed officers were responding to an illegal fishing report by Congolese nationals in Ugandan waters when they were ambushed by the Congolese soldiers. After they were ambushed, their rifles and police boat were seized.
The two incidents are some of the many violent attacks by the Congolese officials in disputed points on Lake Albert despite the 2007 Ngurdoto Agreement between the two countries to resolve such incidents in a peaceful manner.