Lamwo: Wave of insecurity puts residents on tenterhooks

JORDAN MUBANGIZI  

Lamwo, one of the boarder districts with South Sudan has had a fair share of the spill over of the war in South Sudan, as the rebel elements cross into Uganda and terrorize residents.

Now the residents in the district have appealed to government to tackle crime head on, saying this is threatening business and investment in the area.

According to the minister of Disaster Preparedness Hillary Onek who hails from Lamwo, the South Sudan rebels who cross to Uganda are terrorizing the area thus making work at the Atiak Sugar farm difficult.

The sugar firm is owned by business mogul Amina Hersi.

"If the increasing insecurity is not tackled, it could force the investor out yet the factory and sugarcane farm is a huge economic addition to the district that is employing thousands," he said.

Hersi said the war in South Sudan has not only hampered work at the farm but also tampered with the corporate social responsibility projects the factory is undertaking.

She prayed for normalcy to return for the good of the locals and economic transformation of the district.

During the recent Tarehe Sita celebrations in Kitgum, President Museveni promised to have the issue resolved and rallied the locals to embrace the investment.

Local leaders claim that the conflict in South Sudan is helping to arm criminal groups who smuggle weapons into Uganda through the porous border points of Elegu in Amuru District and Ngomoromo, Aweno-Olwiyo and Waligo, all in Lamwo District.

The criminal gangs later use the weapons to rob and kill residents in Acholi and Lango Sub-regions.