Acholi, Madi leaders renew peace initiative in Apaa

The paramount chief of the Madi, Mr Stephen Drani, and his Acholi counterpart Rwot David Onen Acana II have rallied their subjects to peacefully co-exist and end any further bloodshed over the contested Apaa land .

The conflict has led to killings, destruction of property and displacement of people.

The two cultural leaders renewed the peace initiative during a meeting held in Adjumani District on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by all cultural leaders of Madi, some cultural chiefs of the Acholi, resident district commissioners of Adjumani and Amuru, the regional internal security officer of Acholi and North West Nile, the warden in-charge of East Madi Wildlife Reserve, and the commander of UPDF 503 Brigade.

While presenting a report on behalf of the Madi community, Mr Sam Chandiga, the prime minister of the Pajau Clan, said there are ongoing illegal activities taking place in the protected area of Zoka Central Forest Reserve and East Madi Wildlife Reserve.

“Our first meeting was held on October 12 and the second meeting was held on November 3, but we discovered that there is still illegal logging taking place inside the forest, illegal sale of land, charcoal burning and illegal grabbing land in Apaa,” Mr Chandiga said.

The chairperson of Itirikwa Sub-county in Apaa, Mr Jesus Iranya, said the unresolved Apaa land boundary continues to perpetuate the conflict.

“If we are talking about peace in Appa, we need to make it clear that Apaa belongs to Adjumani and if we need peace in the area, we should have a bigger meeting at Apaam,” Mr Iranya said.

Mr Simon Oryem, a member of the Acholi community in Apaa, accused security personnel of fuelling the conflict, claiming they are involved in illegal lumbering and charcoal burning.

“I think the administrative boundaries should not divide us because we have co-existed with the Madi for decades,” Mr Oryem said.

Mr Drani said: “We must ensure there is peace and peaceful co-existence between the Madi and Acholi. We are tired of the bloodshed. Our ancestors lived together, why are we fighting now, where has that cultural respect gone?”

He warned his subjects from the Madi community living in Apaa land against engaging in tribal fights, saying the conflict has left many people poor.

On his part, Mr Onen Acana II said: “We want this peace process to succeed, if I am a stumbling block, I will step aside. We need to put aside our emotional feelings and speak with a free mind without any biases. We don’t want any more bloodshed.”

He appealed to the locals from the two communities to rally behind them and support the initiatives intended to restore peace.

The UPDF 503 brigade commander, Lt Col Robert Koch, advised the cultural leaders to stick to promoting peace.

He said the issue of boundary demarcation is the mandate of the government.

The RDC for Adjumani, Mr Peter Taban, said the cultural leaders will handle the land conflict because they understand their subjects better.

The government injected Shs100 million into the two cultural institutions in August to help spearhead peace efforts.