Simon Peter Longoli

ALL OVER Karamoja, there is a feeling that the bad days of cattle raids and road ambushes are back. There is a resurgence of armed cattle raids currently going on in Karamoja, pitting the armed against the unarmed.

Cattle raiding never ended in Karamoja, but it metamorphosed into unarmed cattle thefts that were almost negligible. A lot of progress has been made in Karamoja since the beginning of the last decade and this should be maintained.

Protection of lives and property was the cardinal promise the Government gave the Karimojong in exchange for their guns. This was premised on the fact that the Karimojong, instead of protecting themselves, had turned the guns against each other and their neighbours. Everyone agreed; women, children and development partners in Karamoja worked towards that goal.

However, not everyone was disarmed. Unequal disarmament of the warring clans has exposed some to attacks, and recent developments show this.

The Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) recorded 41 violent incidents that led to 33 deaths and loss of 3,690 livestock in December 2009. In January, CEWARN recorded 37 violent incidents that led to 23 deaths and loss of 3,333 livestock.

There is a sense of disillusionment in the disarmament process and many feel the Government has not honoured its promises.

The Government should go back to the drawing table with all its stakeholders and see how the looming insecurity in Karamoja should be contained, lest the development registered is lost and Karamoja slips back into a situation of lawlessness.

Karamoja has 14 MPs and a line ministry under the office of the Prime Minister currently headed by the First Lady, Janet Museveni. All these leaders should come together with other stakeholders of development to redress the situation that is threatening stability.

Equitably executed disarmament should be promoted, voluntary disarmament should be made more attractive and security of the disarmed should be made a priority.

The UPDF in Karamoja lack the capacity to handle the raids that are executed simultaneously.
The writer is a mass communication student at Makerere University