The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The 3rd Division Commander has asked Karamoja elders and peace committee members to be ambassadors of peace and discourage cattle rustling.
Brig. Joseph Balikudembe also made a call to the warriors to either voluntarily disarm or be forcefully disarmed.
His call follows increased raids among the tribal communities in Moroto, Kotido, Kaabong and Napak leading to loss of thousands of livestock from innocent communities.
Speaking on Thursday to the peace committee members elected to help the UPDF and local authorities on peace building and recovery efforts, Brig, Balikudembe pleaded to the local leaders to work with the UPDF to prevent for sustainable peace to prevail.
Recently there have been rampant reports of cattle rusting between the communities of Moroto and Kotido as a result of revenge attacks, according to security officials.
The raids have heightened ethnic violence in Karamoja.
John Nabur, a councillor in Nadunget Sun County disclosed that a section of Karacuna (youth) were acquiring guns from the Turkana and South Sudan -where communities are still armed.
For several decades, the Turkana have often been forced to graze their livestock in Uganda.
The Turkana have been blamed for cattle rustling and seasonal conflicts which leaves dozens of killings every dry spell.
This has often threatened peace and cast doubt to the spirit of the East African Community, which president Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart strengthened through an MOU signed in September in Moroto.
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