Calm Returns to Kotido as Security Intensify Operations in the Villages

Business activities in Kotido district and its Municipality in the north of Karamoja has resumed normally after police and army jointly  intensified operations to get rid of cattle rustlers that had dominated the district.

The armed cattle rustlers had started killing people in the Municipality and laying road ambushes on the major highways to Kotido.

URN learnt that between 10th February and 30th May this year, the rustlers killed 18 people in road ambushes.

However, the situation has calmed down due to the heavy presence of military and police carrying out daily and night patrols in all the streets in the town and also cordon and search around villages.

Joseph Komol the chairperson of Kotido District said for the last two weeks, they have not lost any person.

He said the situation is calmed and the forces with the help of political leaders are working hard to bringing sanity in the district.

"I am confident to tell you that we have not lost any person to the cattle rustlers for the last two weeks," he said.

According  to Komol, they used to lose one or two people daily to the raiders but after the security doubling their numbers and efforts on the ground, the situation has calmed.

John Lokiru, chairperson of the peace committee Rengen sub county said the armed forces have made the movements of the raiders so difficult.

"There is now serious pressure on the raiders, they have been denied time to loiter with their guns in public the way they used to do prior to the last two weeks," he said.

Micheal Longole, the Karamoja regional police spokesperson confirmed that the situation  in Kotido has calmed saying the joint forces are working hard to make the rustlers lose appetite for the raids.

Brig. David Mugisa, the deputy 3rd division commander who is onthe ground in Kotido said not all the people of Karamoja are raiders, adding that they are only few individuals carrying out criminal activities in the region.

"We are on top of the situation and we are calling upon those still hiding guns to come out and hand them over guns peacefully," he said.