KOTIDO – Authorities of Lokiriama county, Loima division in Turkana County have promised to follow up and recover all the animals raided by the Turkana pastoralists in Karamoja.
This was announced by the chief of Lokiriama location Mr.Peter Emanikor on Monday 17 during the cross border meeting between the Karamoja and Turkana leaders held in Kotido.
The meeting was called by the minister for Karamoja affairs Mr.John Byabagambi following the persistence cattle theft between the Turkana pastoralists grazing in Karamoja and the Karimojong.
Last month between 25th to 1st of November there was a serious clash between the Turkana and the Karimojong forcing hundreds of Karimojong pastoralists in Kotido district to flee their kraals citing increasing attacks from armed Turkana pastoralists.
Kotido district leaders claim the Turkana raided 2,000 heads of cattle and took them to Kenya.
But Mr.Emanikor said they will look for all the suspected stolen Karamoja animals and hand over them to the Uganda government for the proper screen.
“We don’t condone theft of livestock we are going to work hard and ensure that all the livestock stolen from Karamoja are recovered and handed over back to the Uganda government,“ he said.
Lt.Gen Peter Elwelu, however, warned that UPDF was considering taking tough measures against the two pastoralists communities if they don’t stop raiding each other.
According to Gen Elwelu many lives were lost in an effort to bring peace in Karamoja warning that the army will not watch at the Karimojong and the Turkana trying to destabilize it.
Mr. John Byabagambi the minister for Karamoja affairs blamed the local leaders of Karamoja for failing to address the situation before it worsened.
He said, some Karimojong pastoralists were the origin of conflicts adding that they were the ones who started raiding the livestock of the Turkana.
The meeting was attended by the members of parliament for Karamoja, resident district commissioners, and all the district internal security officials across the Karamoja region.
