Three killed as UPDF, Karimojong rustlers clash
Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, the 3rd division intelligence chief told Daily Monitor that the rustlers attacked the soldiers who were on duty. Photo | File
What you need to know:
- Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, the 3rd division intelligence chief told Daily Monitor that the rustlers attacked the soldiers who were on duty.
Transport from Moroto to Kotido came to a standstill on Sunday afternoon due to a gunfire exchange between the Jie cattle rustlers and UPDF soldiers.
The two-hour fight which broke out at Namayiri village in Napumpum Sub County, Kotido District from 1pm left one UPDF soldier and two cattle rustlers dead.
Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga, the 3rd division intelligence chief told Daily Monitor that the rustlers attacked the soldiers who were on duty.
“It was around 1pm when our soldiers were in the field and they were ambushed by cattle rustlers who had plans to go and raid animals in Moroto. We lost one comrade and we put two of them out of action,” he said, adding: “We have got a clue about those who have escaped and we are following them up.”
He urged the public to keep calm saying the situation was under control and there was no cause for alarm.
For the last two years, Karamoja region has been facing increasing cases of road ambushes, cattle rustling, and killings caused by Karimojong rustlers. This situation has created panic in the region that had enjoyed peace for the last 14 years after a successful disarmament exercise in 2008.
On July 17, 2021, the joint force of police and the army launched another disarmament exercise to collect all the illegal guns in the region.
The exercise that was initially voluntarily faced resistance from the rustlers, prompting the army to apply forceful means. They have so far managed to collect 144 guns and 1101 ammunition.
