Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Fides Service ) - The LRA Lord’s Resistance Army is not the only group to kill and cause insecurity on Uganda’s roads. It is true the LRA sows terror in the northern district but another forgotten tragedy is being played in the north eastern region of Karamoja where assaults and road hold-ups are the order of the day.
“This has always been a difficult zone due to reciprocal animal stealing between farmers” Fides was told by a missionary working in the region. “Animal stealing is a centuries old custom here: Karamoja shepherds regularly steal each other’s sheep. But until recently the thieves were armed with traditional weapons, now they carry automatic arms”.
The Karamoja are well stocked with firearms since the army decided to distribute weapons to civilians after a series of LRA raids in the region. “The army had started a plan to disarm civilians but this was replaced by a programme to provide the population with arms for self defence” the missionary says. Army sources say that before the plan was suspended about 10,000 firearms had been collected.
“The decision to rearm the Karamoja was like throwing oil on the fire: instead of using the arms for self protection against the LRA the farmers used them against each other in reciprocal acts of stealing” the missionary says. “Behind the tribal disputes and stealing there are local administrators who take advantage of the confusion to get rich” another missionary tells Fides.
Now the army is trying to take the weapons back from the people. “In exchange for a rifle the authorities offer a little food, but most of the Karamoja sheep farmers refuse because the Ugandan army cannot take action on the other side of the border where there are other farmers of the same tribe well armed who come across to raid farmers on Ugandan territory. To have effect the disarmament plan should include Karamonje herdsmen in Kenya and Sudan” the missionary says.
Collecting the arms can be dangerous. Fides sources say that last week dozens of army soldiers and auxiliary troops on a disarmament mission were killed by tribesmen (L.M.) (Fides Service 10/11/2003 lines 35 words 426)
