15 rustlers killed during clash with UPDF

Kaabong, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A least 15 cattle rustlers of the Jie ethnicity in Kotido have been killed during a two-hour gun battle with the Uganda People’s Defense Forces in Kaabong district. The warriors were killed in Kaloto village, Lolelia sub-county, Kaabong district on Wednesday when they went to raid animals.

Jino Meri, the Kaabong District chairperson said the rustler’s bodies are still in the kraal where they were gunned down. According to Meri, the raid was one of the biggest but fortunately, the community had alerted security on time. He said that some raiders managed to drive away 50 animals and their footmarks show that they moved towards Kotido.

“I want to thank the UPDF for their timely response otherwise these warriors seem to be many and others have run in disarray,” he said. He said that more rustlers could have died in the bush as they were running because the fight wasn’t an easy one.

Brig. Joseph Balikudembe, the 3rd division commander confirmed the incident but couldn’t tell the exact number of rustlers killed in the fight. He said that they recovered a firearm from the rusttlers and called upon the leaders in Karamoja to play their role by discouraging youths from engaging in crime.

“Government will never accept Karamoja going back to the previous situation. The only option for the people in Karamoja is to hand over guns and stop criminality and send their children to school,” he said. He called upon the general public to remain calm, saying the situation was under control. Moses Maruk, one of the residents of Kaloto said the rustlers were many. “These warriors were also smart but they didnt know that the army was smarter this time around,” he said.

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