The 244 displaced persons arrived at the offices of High Commissioner for Human Rights UNHCR in Gulu Town on Wednesday, reportedly fleeing human rights violations, torture and destruction of livelihoods perpetrated by the Uganda peoples Defense forces - UPDF in the disputed area between Amuru and Adjumani district.
Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa River Police spokesperson says the deployment is to prevent the displaced residents becoming violent or staging a demonstration at the UN facility.
Government has finally commenced the verification of land owners in Amuru Sugar Works Project area in Amuru district. The Sugar works project is a joint venture between Madhvani Group of Companies and the government of Uganda. The project has stalled for at least eight years due to a bitter ownership dispute with locals who claim the area as customary land.
A delegation of Members of Parliament from Lango Sub region are set to travel to Gulu to meet with Acholi leaders to defuse the tribal tension created by the ongoing land-related conflict in Apaa, Amuru district.
Members of the Acholi Parliamentary Group have vowed to fight what they called irregular takeover of land in Amuru district by the Madhvani owned Kakira Sugar Works. The legislators claim that the sugar company is holding dishonest negotiations with cultural leaders in the district to acquire 40,000 hectares of land for sugarcane growing.
The donation of up to 5,000 kilograms of beans and 50,000 kilograms of maize flour were supposed to be distributed to the displaced persons on Wednesday. But a group of residents displaced in Apaa Trading Centre rejected the food citing grievances against government.
Doctors say 22-year-old Denis Onen was put on life support system after initial assessment indicated that his lungs had been perforated by an arrow shot through his right side. Doctors said un-purified external air is filtering into his lungs through a pore dug by the arrow.
Roland Mugume, the Rukungiri Municipality MP and deputy Opposition Chief Whip explained to the residents that they traveled to Apaa to gather evidence on the excessive force used by security agencies during the boundary demarcation exercise.
