Police investigate suspected arson at Elegu border market

Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amuru police are investigating possible arson at Elegu market in Elegu town council.

This follows a mysterious fire that razed down makeshift structures at the busy market on the Uganda-South Sudan border on Wednesday morning.

The incident comes just a year after a devastating fire burnt down hundreds of structures at the market in February last year leaving hundreds of traders in losses. The Aswa River Region Police spokesperson, David Ongom Mudong told Uganda Radio Network in an interview Wednesday that 15 temporary structures had been burnt when police visited the scene.

He says the blaze which began at about 9am was put off by police firefighters from Elegu police station who responded in time before it could spread to other nearby structures. According to Mudong, preliminary investigations point to possible arson. “We suspect this could be arson. The police are however conducting an investigation into it and once we determine the exact cause, the suspects will be apprehended,” said Mudong.

Margaret Auma, the chairperson of the Elegu Women Cross Border Traders Association noted that their preliminary assessment indicates over 30 business structures had been burnt down following the fire incident. She notes that details remain scanty on how the fire started, saying they will rely on police findings.

“We actually don’t know how the fire started, whether it was intentionally done or from a cooking stove before engulfing other structures,” said Auma. Auma who was a victim of last year’s fire incident at the market wondered why the same incident is occurring in the same month.

She says the cause of last year’s fire incident remains unknown since the police didn’t disclose to them their final findings. “We need to know what is causing these fire outbreaks, the police also have to give us the reports of last year on what happened,” she said.

Elegu town council LC3 chairperson, John Kovuki Idro says the repeated fire incidents are a result of poor planning and the temporary structures that are susceptible to fires. He also faulted some of the traders for negligence since they leave charcoal stoves unattended too in the market.

“The problem of the Elegu market is poor planning, they have put temporary structures because the land being used is illegally acquired. So in case of fire, these structures cannot withstand fire,” said Kovuki. Last year, Elegu town council leadership allocated a temporary space to accommodate the vendors after nearly 1,000 stalls were burnt down in the February mysterious inferno.

Owing to the numerous fire incidents, Amuru District local government last year signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Danish Embassy for the construction of a modern market for traders at Elegu Town Council. The construction according to local leaders will be undertaken by Trade Mark East Africa and will have more than 1,000 stalls.

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