After a recent operation, the joint security team has found three guns in the Amudat and Moroto districts within the Karamoja region.
This development coincides with heightened efforts to promote the president’s initiative for voluntary firearm surrender, which is currently at its peak.
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Mike Longole, the spokesperson for the Mountain Moroto Anti-Stock Unit (ASTU) of the police, explained that the operation was triggered by the theft of 94 goats and sheep from Namoni Aloris village in Kosike sub-county, Nabilatuk district, on the night of August 29, 2023.
Responding to this incident, a coordinated effort by the security forces was undertaken to recover firearms from armed criminals in the Alakas (Amudat) and Nakabaat (Moroto) regions.
According to Longole’s statement released on August 31, 2023, the firearms were forcefully retrieved from unidentified warriors during a search operation in the village of Nakabat in Rupa sub-county, Moroto, and the village of Tingaz in Alakas sub-county, Amudat.
While the northern part of Karamoja, encompassing Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, and Abim, has seen success with Karamojong youth (Karacunas) voluntarily relinquishing their weapons, Longole highlighted that challenges persist in the southern districts of Moroto, Napak, Amudat, and Nakapiripirit.
These areas continue to experience sporadic incidents of livestock theft, particularly between Pokot (Amudat) and Pian in Nabilatuk and Nakapiripirit.
Longole encouraged the local population to embrace the presidential amnesty by willingly surrendering their firearms to the government without fearing punishment.
He assured that security personnel are committed to upholding peace throughout Karamoja.
In a recent development, Maj. Gen. Don Nabasa, the commander of Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) 3rd division, urged the warriors to take advantage of the extended amnesty period to turn in all illegally possessed firearms in the region.
Since July 2021, a total of 916 guns and 6,559 rounds of ammunition have been recovered, leading to the arrest of 2,682 suspected raiders. Out of these, 1,358 have faced trial in court-martial, 1,358 in civil courts, and 39,024 livestock have been reclaimed.
The region has witnessed an estimated 400 fatalities and 700 injuries as a result of these raids.
