DRC militiamen rob engine boats on Lake Albert

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four suspected DRC militiamen have raided Lake Albert and robbed three boat engines.

The armed militiamen raided the lake at around 2 am near Kaiso landing site in Kabaale sub-county Hoima district. They placed several fishermen at gunpoint and ordered them to surrender the engines.

Fred Mujuni, the chairman of Kaiso fishing community says that the four-armed militiamen dressed in Congolese military uniform after accomplishing their mission, immediately crossed to the Democratic Republic of Congo leaving the fishermen stranded in the lake.

He identifies some of the victims as Jacob Okumu, Salom and Keu all attached to Kaiso landing site.

Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson says that security has launched investigations into the robbery.

He says that security teams are already in talks with their DRC counterparts to forge a way how the attacks on Ugandan fishermen can end. Attacks by suspected Congolese militia on Ugandan fishermen have been rampant since 2018.

On March 21, armed Congolese militiamen raided the lake robbing 19 boat engines from Ugandan fishermen.

On March 14, 2021, four-armed Congolese militiamen raided the lake abducting 16 Ugandan fishermen. They also robbed four fishing boats and four boat engines.

The abducted fishermen were detained for a week at the Tchomia landing site in Bunia district and released after each paid 50 United States Dollars.

In April 2020, two suspected Congolese militiamen were gunned down on Lake Albert in Hoima district in a fire exchange between the militia and the UPDF soldiers.

The two, later identified as Ozelle Opio, 25, and another only identified as Singa were part of the group that invaded the landing site near Kaiso in Buseruka sub-county where they put several Ugandan fishermen at gunpoint, ordering them to surrender their fishing gear including boats, fishing nets, engines and hooks.

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