Residents of Pabbo and Atiak trading centres in Amuru district have threatened to block the highway that passes through Amuru into South Sudan, if government tries to forcefully and illegally demarcate the boarder between Amuru and Adjumani districts.
The threat comes following the heavy deployment of soldiers and police on Saturday morning, in Adjumani district in preparation for the boundary demarcation which is set to take place on a date yet to be confirmed.
“When the people of Apaa in Amuru are being disturbed it concerns us too, so we shall block this South Sudan road so that government know that there is no peace in the whole of Amuru,” a businessman who preferred anonymity told this reporter.
An eye witness in Pabbo trading centre told Acholi times that the police and army had been deployed with two heavy tankers and a vehicle full of teargas.
Residents in Apaa came out to demonstrate against the heavy deployment of both Police and the UPDF and the impending boarder demarcation.
The residents say they do not support the looming boundary marking because the contested land is their ancestral land.
“This is a ploy give our land to Bruce Martin and other investors who want the land turned into game hunting ground,” said a local resident.
“This is our ancestral land and we shall die here because since 2010 government has never allowed us to rest but we shall fight until the end,”Akot Julia a resident of Apaa also told this reporter on Saturday.
Another resident in Apaa who only identified himself as Odongkara, also observed that the Government of Uganda continues treating local residents as if they are rebels and yet they are citizens who are just defending their right to their ancestral land.
Kilak County MP Gilbert Olanya who was in Apaa on Saturday asked local residents to remain calm and defend their land without any panic because that is their land upon which they shall die.
“Do not take up spear, pangas and cause no violence to the government forces but do not accept to leave your land because it is your ancestral land,’ Olanya told the residents.
He appealed to the government to adopt negotiations with local residents as the best mechanism to resolve the matter once and for all.
When contacted the 4th Division Public Relation officer Captain Ceaser Olweny said that he is out of the region and not aware of any deployment of security personel in Apaa for boundary marking.
Moses Ali, the MP for Adjumani and 3rd deputy Prime Minister also said that he is also hearing the rumors but is not aware of any deployment in Adjumani.
“Am in Kampala why don’t you go to Adjumani and see for yourself, that is the work of a reporter,” he told this reporter when contacted.
A recent attempt at marking the boundary sparked widespread protest with women stripping naked before the Ministers of Internal Affairs Gen Aronda Nyakarima and Land, Daudi Magereko among others.
4 Comments
President has a time limit, but residents of Apaa don’t for leaving on their land. You should continue to reject some line demacation. If it is demacated, that is forever and evident. We must hold them till Mr. Museveni is out of office. If a new leader comes in, it will all be a different story.
President Museveni is intimidating Apaa indigenous and thinks by deploying the Police and UPDF can create fear in the heart and inner physiology of Apaa die hard land owners.Let Museveni and those apartheid South African know that the Spirit of Nelson Mandella shall strengthen us even if the NRM government is killing us in cold blood.”OUR LAND WAS RECOVERED BY OUR ANCESTRAL WITH BLOOD IN 16TH CENTURY”
We shall rebel and never give up.
I appeal to International Community to come to our rescue(USA-President Obama,Britain-Prime Minister David Cameron,AU,East African Head of States why are you quite watching Museveni killing us again?)
As I make this comment already 10 people have been axed with pangas in Pabbo Centre on South Sudan Road,They are being beaten by the 4000 Police and UPDF Government of NRM under President Museveni.
Please help us …….Help us before the situation get bloody into Cival War in Northern Uganda Now.
(Jack Loum Lakana -Pabbo in Diaspora).
Legislators should team up together, call for secession, send letters to other African union leaders showing the hypocrisy of president Museveni. He is a hypocrite period. For years he was blaming Kony now you see the real reason why he has been fighting the villagers. Where is Kony in all this? Let international media take up the story now. Stealing Lands using Uganda soldier uniforms. Thieves in police garments. Konye peke me bedo i tel loc eni. An aneno ni nongo yweyo pe obibedo yot. Myero ki nen kit me bwotto Uganga kicwal koko bot luloc lobo me Africa wa dul lobo mawoko macalo kaka ni wamito aa ki i bwura pa lakwor eni. En tye ka timmo gin mo keken me wanno lawak ma gipeke ka jemmo i kome.
It is sad and totally unacceptable to displace a comunity who settled in large anchestral homeland. Even in International Law it is unacceptable and is condemned outright. Acholi as a people are aware of cynical plan the regime have had on them from the bush war days in Luwero. No one should fear what is going on because it is just for now after all the regime has reached its climax and not before long it will all be history. Our brothers and sisters in Apaa should know clearly that as one people we are all with you i this trying time. When all is over Acholi will secure their borders properly against a repeat abuse. Where required required we shall mobilize able and youthful age groups to migrate fro inland to the places bordering us, set up schools, hospitals, Acholi task force ( Administrative Police) and build up social ammenities in the areas, roads and infrastrucres so that the community consolidate and build proper capacity to fend off crooked leadership as is the case presently. Above all those who think they will invest in Acholi land must stand warned that they will burn their fingures over nothing and risk many things including settling in Uganda in the foreseeable future. The same applies to traitors within us they should better watch out. I did simillar posting in the today’s Monitors Newspaper where the same story has been runing but when I checked back it was removed. My advice is for the people to tread wisely to avoid serious loss of innocent valued lives. As a people we have seen it all. This is a criminal regime that has no shame in shading any ammount of blood. Atleast we the elit group need to form pressure group and approach International Bodies especially human rights organisations in Geneval, Africa Union, UN, EU and the like alongside judicial process. For that matter we in London cal upon Acholi Association in line with Acholi Council of Elders (ACE) to convene an urgent meeting and and start brainstorming and clear moves. At the end of it all Kaka is for ever Kaka. JOK JOK LAMALO. Wod Twon.