The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local council-LC 5 chairpersons in West Nile have asked the central government to urgently intervene and resolve boundary conflicts in the region.
The chairpersons from the twelve districts, two municipalities and one city under their umbrella organization West Nile Development Association-WENDA made the call during their general meeting held on Friday in Arua city.
According to the chairpersons, most of whom are new, the boundary conflicts have negatively affected service delivery to the residents such as road construction.
Some of the boundary disputes are between Yumbe and Madi Okollo at Ewanga, Moyo and Obongi at Palorinya, Terego and Madi Okollo at Ocea, Maracha and Koboko at Kololo, Arua district and Madi Okollo over Laura central forest reserve among others.
Williams Anyama, the Moyo district LC V chairperson who also doubles as the chairperson of WENDA, says that there is need for the central government to resolve the boundary conflicts in the region.
Abdultwaib Asiku, the LC 5 chairman of Yumbe which is involved in a boundary dispute with Madi Okollo, Moyo and Koboko said the conflicts have made it difficult to deliver services in the affected areas.
He noted that as members of WENDA, they will push for the resolution of the conflicts at both Parliamentary and central government levels.
Wilfred Saka, the Terego district LC V chairperson explained that their border conflict with Madi Okollo has stalled the construction of the road linking the two districts at Ocea because of the tension among locals from the two sides.
However, Sam Nyakua, the Mayor Arua City who presided over boundary conflicts between Arua and Yumbe to Terego-Yumbe and Madi Okollo-Yumbe, says there is need for the leaders to be extremely sober while pushing for the resolution of the long term boundary conflicts to avoid further dividing their people.
Last year, hundreds of people from Rhino Camp in Madi Okollo district took up bows and arrows and stormed Ocea Primary School to stop the Terego East MP, Obiga Kania from addressing the people there on grounds that it’s their land.
This prompted Kania and then MP of Lower Madi, Ismail Ogama to convene an emergency meeting to calm down the situation pending final resolution of the conflict by Local Government Minister.
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