Two NFA staff hacked by illegal loggers
The Saturday incident, according to Mr Tom Rukundo, the NFA director of Natural Forests, left Mr Geoffrey Balikuddembe and Mr Julius Tumusiime hospitalised with deep cuts on their heads, hands and other body parts. NFA PHOTO
What you need to know:
- No suspect had been arrested by last evening but NFA said they were working with police to have the culprits face the law.
- Mabira, a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres, is only guarded from illegal activities by only 20 unarmed patrol men and women, Mr Rugundo said.
Kampala. Two staff of the National Forest Authority (NFA) are nursing wounds after illegal loggers attacked and hacked them while patrolling Mabira Forest, east of Kampala.
The Saturday incident, according to Mr Tom Rukundo, the NFA director of Natural Forests, left Mr Geoffrey Balikuddembe and Mr Julius Tumusiime hospitalised with deep cuts on their heads, hands and other body parts.
“They saw already cut logs in the forest and they laid an ambush to arrest the loggers when they came back to chop the logs into timber. When the loggers came back, our staff swung into action, arrested one and others escaped,” Mr Rukundo said yesterday by telephone.
He added: “When they took that suspect to our station within Mabira before he is taken to police, the loggers mobilised and attacked our staff using machetes. Our staff sustained deep cuts and Balikuddembe is in critical condition.”
No suspect had been arrested by last evening but NFA said they were working with police to have the culprits face the law.
Mabira, a rainforest area covering about 300 square kilometres, is only guarded from illegal activities by only 20 unarmed patrol men and women, Mr Rugundo said.
Mr Rukundo said although they are working with environment police and the army, they are requesting government to avail guns to the patrol men to respond in equal measure whenever attacked by offenders.
“If our staff had been armed, I do not think they would have been attacked,” Mr Rukundo said.
Rising cases
It is not the first time NFA staff have been attacked. Last year, NFA staff were assaulted in Jinja, Kyoga and two others were killed in 2010 in Masaka District.
