Ever since President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, ordered for the offensive disarmament exercise in Karamoja in July last year, UPDF and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) have recovered at least 183 guns and more than 1000 bullets.
There have been debates on the source of guns being used by warriors to raid cattle kraals. The rumour of guns and bullets recovered from warriors being made from Nakasongola ammunition factory has been gaining momentum in the last few weeks.
But Brig. Felix Kulayigye, the Army spokesperson and Commissioner of Police Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson told Uganda Radio Network that some guns and bullets made from Nakasongola have been recovered from the warriors.
However, Brig. Kulayigye and CP Enanga explain that the guns were robbed from soldiers and Police officers killed or injured by warriors. Enanga cites an example of last week’s incident where two soldiers were shot dead by warriors who varnished with the victims’ two guns and 432 bullets.
“Of course we have been indicating that we have lost guns and that is how these guns partly get into the hands of Karimojong warriors. Like last week, the two UPDF guns were robbed and bullets were robbed. There was a time they raided one of the ASTU Police post and they stole two guns,” says Enanga.
Brig. Kulayigye explains that apart from soldiers and police officers being targeted by warriors to take their guns, there are a number of Local Defence Units (LDU) who had been recruited from Karamoja to provide village to village security but they escaped with some weapons.
“Whereas we disarm, our counterparts in Kenya do not disarm. The Turkana and Pokot have guns. They have also been killing our soldiers. There was time we recruited LDUs from Karamoja and some escaped with our guns,” says Brig. Kulayigye.
The conflict in Karamoja has left more than 20 civilians killed while the number of warriors shot dead is close to 100 since mid-last year. Last week 16 warriors were shot dead during the operation that recovered 372 stolen cows.
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