60 houses burnt, 16 arrested in Yumbe tribal land conflict

Police have arrested a total of 16 people following inter-clan violence over land in parts of Yumbe and Koboko district in which 60 grass thatched houses were burnt and property of undisclosed value destroyed. 

Kecuru Primary School in Yumbe district has now been turned into a camp for joint a Police, UPDF operation to quell the turbulence as the teachers and children who were supposed to sit their end of term examinations had all fled. 

The violence flared up on Tuesday night pitting Kecuru clansmen against their counterparts the Gotri. 

The West Nile Police spokesperson Josephine Angucia said at the centre of the fighting is a long dragging land dispute which has been unresolved at the Arua High Court since 2009. 

The case is between Nuru Ajiga of Kecuru clan and retired Maj. Muhamud Lambe of Gotri clan who are settled in the villages of Idroko, Yamiro and Ajagoro all in Lukuja parish, Kei Sub County in Yumbe. 

Angucia said Ajiga and his clansmen are claiming the land covered by all the three villages and want Lambe and his people to leave. 

Referring to preliminary investigations by Police, Angucia said the people got frustrated by the unending delay by the court to pronounce itself on the matter and decided to resort to mob action. 

The Kecuru people reportedly attacked their Gotri neighbours where they burnt 48 houses, three granaries, three goats and vandalised other property such as foodstuff and also left two unidentified people injured after being shot with arrows. 

When police was called in to contain the situation, the attackers sneaked to Abuku Sub County in Koboko where they set ablaze 12 houses belonging to Lambe's relatives. 

The Koboko District Police Commander Alberto Isamat swiftly dispatched a heavily armed squad of Police who managed to capture nine suspects whose names were yet to be established by Police. 

In Yumbe, DPC Abubakar Musiho's team netted seven suspected aggressors whom Angucia identified as Ali Hassan, Yusuf A, Andruru R, Candiga M, Anaku, H, Mahazini A and Hassa Musa. 

Police are preferring charges of arson, destruction of property and assault against the suspects. 

By 5:00pm on Wednesday the authorities had not established the whereabouts of those whose houses had been burnt as the violence was still continuing despite the entrance of the UPDF to reinforce security.