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Kikuube, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in the Albertine region has refuted claims that they were involved in a heavy gunfire exchange with strangers who had invaded Kyangwali refugee settlement area in Kikuube district.
On Monday night, reports emerged that some strangers had invaded Kasonga trading center that is situated with the Kyangwali refugee settlement area and that the strangers engaged police in a heavy gunfire exchange.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson has come out to clarify what exactly happened in the Kyangwali refugee settlement area on the day in question.
According to Hakiza, police received information that there was commotion among Congolese refugees in Kasonga who were watching a premier league football match between Manchester United versus Brentford FC on Monday night.
As a result, police rushed to quell down the commotion among the refugees but they turned violent and started pelting stones at the officers. This prompted police to fire bullets in the air to disperse the rowdy refugees.
Hakiza says in the process, five of the rowdy refugees were arrested and whisked to Kasonga police station where they are currently being detained.
Hakiza says police is currently investigating what could have caused the chaos among the refugees since the arrested ones whose particulars have been concealed for fear of jeopardizing investigations have still declined to explain what exactly caused the commotion.
Alpha Tumuhimbise, a refugee says after the match ended, their colleagues including his own brother started shouting on top of their voices, a thing that prompted police to storm the area to establish what was happening. He admits that his colleagues who were drunk started pelting the police officers with stones, prompting the officers to fire bullets in the air to disperse them.
Enock Kisembo, another refugee settled in Kasonga says on the fateful night, he heard gun shot sounds at around 11.00pm within the settlement and when he came out of his house to check what was happening, he found police had deployed in the entire area as some people were fleeing.
He says police had also blocked the road leading to Kasonga trading center as they were arresting whoever could be seen in the area.
John Bosco Kyaligonza, the settlement commandant of Kyangwali refugee settlement area when contacted, explained that it is true some refugees became rowdy as they were watching the premier league football match, a thing that compelled the settlement management to call in police to contain the situation.
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