By Brian Komakech
Adjumani
Army has issued warning to all non-natives illegally occupying the disputed Apaa land in Apaa Township claimed by Amuru and Adjumani districts to voluntarily vacate or face forceful eviction.
The warning comes days after brutal skirmishes over the disputed land that left six people dead, dozens injured, and hundreds of housing structures destroyed.
Security reported that the deceased whose identities weren’t availed included three males who hailed from unknown districts in Central Uganda and three others from Adjumani district.
Fourth Infantry Division Commander Brig. Gen Michael Kabango said on Tuesday that the majority of those encroaching on the disputed areas of East Madi Wildlife Reserve and Zoka Central Forest Reserve are non-natives.
While addressing a gathering at Apaa Township on Tuesday Brig. Gen Kabango said the foreigners mostly from central and Western Uganda are engaged in commercial farming and illegal charcoal production and timbers.
“Those who are all over the place doing that business are foreigners, they are not local Acholi people or Madi. Those who started gardening after 2014, are not local Acholi,” said Brigadier Kabango.
He reveals that lucrative illegal business deals on the protected wildlife and forest land have continued to attract foreigners resulting in a sudden surge in human population in Apaa Township. For instance, according to Brig. Kabango, in just four months, the population on the disputed land had exploded from an estimated 40,000 people to more than 80,000, the majority being foreigners.
He noted that the non-natives who hadn’t been targeted in the past have now become a target because they are meddling in the land conflict and ordered them to vacate the area for their safety.
“For security reasons, you (foreigners) are a problem because you are interfering in a conflict that is not yours by being here. Since this conflict started, they haven’t killed any foreigner, it is always the Madi or the Acholi,”
Adding that “Now they have started targeting you, it’s not accidental, it’s deliberate. That means you are getting mixed up in a conflict that is not yours, so leave, it’s safer for you to leave,” said Brig. Kabango.
Brig. Kabango also faulted security officials in the army and Police over negligence on their duty that resulted in the deadly clashes and their roles in encouraging the influx of non-natives.
“There are those who are culpable, there are those who are encouraging and are responsible for that influx and encroachment. Those are going to be dealt with because they are responsible for those deaths,” He told GNNA in an interview Tuesday.
Following the clashes and eviction orders issued by the army, hundreds of non-natives began leaving the disputed Apaa Township over the weekend. Some of them however requested the army to give them time to harvest their crops before vacating Apaa.
We Need More Time
Jaspar Arinda, a commercial farmer says he planted 400 acres of maize this farming season and noted that he can’t leave at the moment because he needs to first have them all harvested. According to Alinda, he has invested over 300 million shillings in the agricultural venture through a loan arguing that it would be a loss for him to leave without harvesting the maize.
“Our maize is maturing now, at least they should give us just 60 days then we go. We have hired the land and we have no problem with the Acholi. We have put a lot of money, let them help us to harvest our crops then we go,” said Arinda.
Legislators Make Maiden Visit to Apaa
On Tuesday, a section of Members of Parliament from the Acholi Sub-region under their umbrella Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) was granted a rare opportunity for the first time to access the disputed Apaa since their last visit in 2021.
Led by APG Chairperson also the Kilak North legislator Anthony Akol, the legislators commiserated with the relatives of the deadly attacks by unknown assailants and addressed the community of Apaa Township.
Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division Legislator in Gulu City called for calm from the community members and requested the government to display good political will in resolving the decade-long conflict over the land. Mapenduzi also implored security personnel to conduct an expeditious investigation and bring to book the perpetrators of the conflicts.
“Anybody involved in committing crimes must be handled according to the law. But those who have come and grabbed land, causing confusion and inciting violence must leave, let the land owners remain,” Said Mapenduzi.
No suspect arrested
Peter Taban Data, the Adjumani Resident District Commissioner told GNNA in an interview Tuesday that no culprit had yet been arrested in connection to the weekend brutal clashes. Taban said two people, whose details he didn’t provide, were also still missing but noted a search had been mounted for their bodies by security personnel.
About Apaa
Measuring approximately 827 sqm, Apaa has been under contention since 2012 when the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) started evicting residents of Pabbo Sub-county in Amuru district claiming the land falls in a gazetted East Madi Wildlife Reserve inside Adjumani district.
While several interventions to solve the land conflicts that have claimed more than 30 lives since 2012 have been futile, a Judicial Commission of Inquiry instituted by President Museveni in September this year is seen as the last resort to calm the tension. The commission headed by retired Chief Justice Bert Katureebe is however yet to start its work.
