The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Acholi Parliamentary Group has asked the government to investigate the second Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Moses Ali for persistently inciting violence in Apaa, an area contested between two districts.
The land in question was gazetted as East Madi Game Reserve under Zoka Forest in 2012 by the Adjumani district council, a decision that sparked a border dispute between Adjumani district in West Nile and Amuru district in Acholi, as communities in Amuru argued that the land which was declared a wildlife reserve is their ancestral land.
The disputed land covers about 827 square kilometres and has been a centre of bloodshed as communities fought to regain control over it. Research by Human Rights Focus shows that more than 840 homes were destroyed between late 2017 and June 2018 alone, as the communities faced off in conflict that has since taken an ethnic twist between the Madi and Acholi communities.
The clashes resumed in recent months resulting in the death of two residents, injuring scores and displacement of some families. Now, Anthony Akol, the Chairperson of the Acholi Parliamentary Group says that Gen Ali triggered fresh misunderstandings when during the recent campaigns, he promised to allow his people to settle in the disputed area.
According to Akol, Gen Ali’s premeditated message was widely circulated on social media platforms and explains the current motivation of continuous brutal attacks in Apaa.
The MPs say several perpetrators who have been arrested by the police and military teams deployed to maintain peace and security in the disputed area have always been released under the influence of Gen. Ali. According to Akol, Gen Ali has exhibited bias even as a mediator in the government-led negotiations aimed at ending the Apaa impasse.
URN made attempts to reach out to Gen. Ali to respond to the accusations levied against him by the Acholi MPs in vain.
But Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Gulu West Division MP who also doubles as the Chairperson of the Local Government Accounts Committee in Parliament said that political interference has largely been responsible for gross human rights violations in Apaa, and the government has an obligation to swiftly investigate and reprimand the culprits.
*****
URN
