Police, army to use aircraft to help crackdown on Karamajong cattle rustlers

The Police and the army will deploy aircraft and drones to help fight cattle rustling and other crimes in Karamoja region, the Nile Post has learnt.

According to the police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, following concerns about growing insecurity and violence due to raids and counter raids in the Karamoja region by legislators under the Karamoja Parliamentary Association, a meeting was held at the UPDF third division headquarters in Moroto to forge the way forward.

The meeting according to police was attended by the  State Minister for Karamoja,  Moses Kiige, the Chief of Defence Force in the UPDF,  Gen. David Muhoozi, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Sabiiti Muzeeyi, MPs from Karamoja region and other local politicians.

“The major concerns raised included; fears of counter raids from across the borders between Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan due to the porous borders, inadequate police and military presence, gun trafficking and the re-emergence of guns and hostile alliances among ethnic groups,”Enanga said in a statement.

He noted that the meeting condemned the raids and violence from both within and neighbouring countries before emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to combat the threats.

“In response to the concerns, the Chief of Defence Forces and Deputy Inspector General of Police expressed the determination of security agencies to counter all forms of raids and counter raids and to bring perpetrators of such acts to justice. The areas agreed on to enhance security included; the immediate reorganization and boosting up of Anti Stock Theft Unit manpower,” the police mouthpiece noted.

“They also agreed to use aerial capabilities like aircraft and drones to counter raiders, regulation of entry and exit through the creation of border posts, faster recovery of raided animals through quicker response, troop mobility and continuous forceful disarmament in grazing areas, identification of violent warriors and perpetrators of raids for arrest and prosecution, training and retraining of personnel.”

The meeting also agreed to regulate movements in and out of the country by the Turkana warriors, create special courts for offenders and opening up of security roads in the area in a bid to deal with cattle rustling.

Police reorganization

The Deputy Inspector General of Police also noted that the force has embarked on a security assessment mission in the Karamoja region in which all detaches and deployments along the borderline and within the borders of the country have been reviewed.

“Areas for the construction of border posts to regulate entry and exit were identified, the repositioning of our forces through the creation of new detaches, additional logistical and manpower supplies to ensure better response to armed raids, better surveillance of intelligence-led processes. The scale of the assessment is a testament of our resolve to counter all forms of cattle raids in the region,” Maj.Gen.Muzeeyi Sabiiti said.

He said that through this reorganization, a number of stolen animals have been recovered by a joint team of LDUs and Police ASTU officers in the region since December.

“The public should know that the situation in Karamoja is manageable and under control. We have no doubt that our renewed security efforts, will restore total peace and security in the Karamoja sub-region.”