Karimojong, Turkana pastoralists fight
Turkana pastoralists water their cattle at Kobebe dam in Moroto District at the weekend. PHOTO BY STEVEN ARIONG
Moroto- Several Karimojong and Turkana pastoralists have been injured in a fight over water and pasture.
The pastoralists from the two communities engaged in a four-hour fight at a watering point in Kobebe water dam in Moroto District last week.
Many people suffered cuts, bruises and other injuries.
A number of pastoralists from Karamoja and Turkana have since last month been camping in the area with their livestock in search of water and pasture following prolonged drought.
The dam was constructed by government in 2010 at the cost of Shs7.6 billion.
It is now the only source of water for thousands of cattle for the Karimojong, Turkana and South Sudanese.
Lt Bosco Otim, who is overseeing UPDF deployment in the area, confirmed the incident, saying the army intervened timely to resolve the conflict.
“We rushed where they were fighting from and stopped the fighting,” he said.
Call for unity
Mr Richard Aruk Maruk, the Mt Moroto region police commander, advised the pastoralists to live as brothers and sisters.
“I heard about the fight but this is wrong because these two communities are brothers and sisters who should learn how to share resources,” he said.
Mr Emanuel Imana, the Turkana peace ambassador managing peace initiatives in the Karamoja cluster, asked the Turkana to be calm, adding that government will visit Karamoja to assess the situation.
He appealed to the camping pastoralists to abide by the laws of Uganda.
