Members of
Parliament from the Acholi Sub Region have asked the Acholi Paramount Chief,
Rwot Onen David Acana II to intervene in the Apaa Township unrest.
The MPs say that the subjects of the Paramount Chief living in the Apaa
Township are being brutalized and allegedly killed by their rival tribesmen.
Apaa is the epicentre of conflict between Madi tribesmen of Adjumani district
and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Acholi of Amuru district over
the ownership of the 24 square kilometre land.
Gilbert Olanya, the Member of Parliament for Kilak South in Amuru district says
that at least 18 people of the Acholi ethnicity have been allegedly killed in
the area since the violent conflicts started in the year 2017, yet nothing has
been done about it.
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Anthony Akol, the Member of Parliament for Kilak North in Amuru district who
doubles as the Chairperson Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) added that it is
sad seeing that the people in Apaa are being tormented daily yet no action has
been taken against the perpetrators.
He disclosed that recently dozens of the Acholi people in Apaa were attacked by
pangas and machete-wielding men, their houses burnt down and properties
destroyed yet both government and the cultural institution have remained
silent.
Akol said that the Members of Parliament from Acholi have agreed to meet the Paramount
Chief from his palace in Gulu City on Friday next week to seek his intervention
in restoring sanity in the area noting that they had lost trust in the
government.
The MPs raised the concerns on Friday during a meeting of all MPs from the
Acholi and investors in the Acholi Sub Region at Vila Nova Guest House in Nwoya
district which was graced by Acana II.
However, the Paramount Chief admitted knowledge of the inhumane treatment and
violence in Apaa Township but noted that the Acholi Cultural Chiefdom was yet
to summon the leaders in the Acholi Sub Region to discuss lasting solutions to
the matter.
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Between July and September this year, at least 50 people armed with bows and
arrows, pangas and machetes have been arrested by the security for terrorizing
the residents of Apaa Township which is highly contested for between the Madi
of Adjumani and Acholi of Amuru districts.
Residents in the area say that they are currently abandoning their homes and
spending nights in the bush for fear of being attacked by unsuspected armed
men.
Emmy Daniel Ojara
Freelancer