Suspected Karimojong warriors kill one, rape two women in Agago
Some of the 18 grass thatched houses that were reportedly burnt by suspected Karimojong cattle warriors in Uganda's restive Karamajong sub region between January 2022 to June 3, 2023. PHOTO/ROBERT ORWOT
What you need to know:
- In Agago District, at least 42 people have been killed and 350 others injured in the last 18 months by suspected cattle rustlers.
A 43-year-old man was killed by suspected Karimojong cattle rustlers who also reportedly raped two women in an Agago District following an attack in a sub county on June 12, authorities have said.
Charles Lawoko was killed in his garden at Nyerca Village, Kaket Parish in Lapono Sub County on Monday.
Agago LC5 councillor for Lapono Sub County, Mathew Obol, confirmed the incident, saying the father of nine children was cut with a machete.
“The Karamojong warriors are now dressing in uniforms similar to those of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), making it pretty difficult for the locals to differentiate between bad guys and good ones,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
Lawoko’s wife Margret Akello said her husband on Monday morning went to the garden to dig as usual but found when the suspected Karimojong warriors had already surrounded the garden.
“They came out of their hideout and arrested Lawoko before axing him to death, she told Monitor.
Kanan Village LC1 chairperson Sunday Reagan Okumu said two women were also raped during the Monday attack.
“They victims were all stripped naked and the rapists fled with their clothes,” he said, adding that “the women were immediately rushed to Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital-Kalongo for medication.”
Agago Resident District Commissioner (RDC) James Nabinson Kidega, who is also the head of security in the area, described the incident as unfortunate but said UPDF soldiers were still pursuing the attackers.
In Agago District, at least 42 people have been killed and 350 others injured in the last 18 months by suspected cattle rustlers.
Statistics compiled by local leaders from Paimol, Omiyapacwa, Lapono, Lira Kato, Kapelyebyong, Adilang and Wol sub-counties and Adilang Town Council also show that 18 grass-thatched houses were set ablaze by the same warriors between January 2022 to June 3, 2023. During the same period, 3,844 goats and 1, 851 cattle were stolen.
