Acholi leaders accuse govt of inaction over Apaa land
What you need to know:
- The leaders say despite holding several meetings with different stakeholders, the conflict has escalated.
The political leadership in Madi and Acholi sub-regions have accused the government of delayed intervention in ending the conflicts between the Madi and Acholi people over land in Apaa.
The leaders say the delayed action, particularly by President Museveni, is frustrating efforts to end the conflicts.
On Sunday, political, cultural and religious leaders from Acholi Sub-region met at the Acholi chiefdom palace in Gulu City and resolved, among other things, to petition President Museveni over the matter.
The meeting was also attended by all MPs hailing from the area under the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) and Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny-Dolo.
Mr John Amos Okot, the APG secretary general, said they agreed “to communicate directly to the President to restrain security forces from use of force, intimidation and eviction of the local community in Apaa from their own place of ordinary residence.”
Frustration
“Recently, the Chief Justice and a team from the region met the President some three months ago and they came up with some resolutions, but right now, none of those resolutions have been implemented. Now we are asking ourselves what is happening,” he said.
“Even though the President recently met our team and promised so many great actions towards stopping hostilities in Apaa, we are dismayed by how the government is acting over the Apaa matter,” Mr Okot added.
Mr Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South MP, said evictions, abductions and attacks have continued to be meted against the Acholi on the contested land in the presence of heavily armed police and military personnel.
“In Apaa right now, there are evictions going on, why is that happening even when the President gave a directive?” Mr Olanya wondered.
He claimed that Acholi leaders have met the President nine times since 2012 over the Apaa conflict and nothing has been done so far.
During the Sunday meeting, Justice Owiny-dollo promised to engage the authorities to ensure that all people detained over the land conflict are released. It was also agreed that the UPDF 4th Division command and the police beef up security in the area to allow those previously displaced internally by the conflict to return to their homes.
Last week while presiding over a ceremony in Aliwara Village, Itirikwa Sub-county, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Gen Moses Ali, expressed dissatisfaction over the delay by the government in solving the Apaa conflict.
He noted that the government had appointed several committees who came up with recommendations that have not been implemented by the government.
“It was agreed that those (Acholi people) who were against the administration of Adjumani district would be given 20million for each family head, bags of cement and iron sheet to relocate elsewhere. Although the Cabinet endorsed this proposal, it was not implemented,” he said.
Gen Ali said even when Madi leaders met the President at State House over the Apaa conflict recently, the meeting did not come up with a final conclusion.
Security situation
The UPDF 4th Division spokesperson, Lt Ahmad Hassan Kato, admitted that retaliatory attacks between the Madi and Acholi are still ongoing in Apaa despite the heavy deployment of security.
“We have a whole battalion located in Apaa to man security not only in Apaa but in the whole of Itirikwa Sub-county. But the challenge is that they always inform us after an incident has happened,” Lt Kato said.
On Monday, Mr Otinga Otto Atuka, the deputy paramount chief of Acholi chiefdom, said the cultural institution has resolved to form a team together with Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative to pursue a dialogue with the Madi community over the conflict.
“We are not happy at all with this matter of Apaa, our people continue to suffer while the government does not want to listen, but we are going to do everything to see this solved,” Mr Otinga said.
Museveni pledge
Early in September, President Museveni told West Nile leaders at State House Entebbe that the conflict surrounding the disputed Apaa land will be solved based on facts rather than sentiments and tribalism.
The President told them that the conflict will be solved before December. The West Nile leaders had sought audience with the President following a meeting between him and Acholi leaders on August 12.
President Museveni, during the meeting with Acholi leaders, instructed the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Wilson Mbadi, to enforce maximum security in the area and ensure that the attacks cease. Since September, three people have been killed while scores have been injured on both Acholi and Madi sides following fresh tribal clashes over the disputed Apaa land.
