Muruli allays Iteso fears

Nov 27, 2001

THE Minister of State for Security, Muruli Mukasa, has said the 38 Banyankole and Banyarwanda herdsmen who travelled from Masindi district to Pallisa district pose no security risk to the Teso region.

By Emmy Allio THE Minister of State for Security, Muruli Mukasa, has said the 38 Banyankole and Banyarwanda herdsmen who travelled from Masindi district to Pallisa district pose no security risk to the Teso region. “It was said they were carrying guns, walkie-talkies and that their cattle had diseases. But our investigations show that they are not armed and their cattle have been vaccinated,” he said in a statement on Monday. Muruli said the herdsmen, some of whom are Banyambo tribesmen, had 420 head of cattle. He said they were travelling legally since they had lived in Teso, especially in Kumi, Soroti and Pallisa before the insurgency of the late 1980s. “Our investigations show that they speak fluent Ateso and are known to the local councillors in the areas where they once lived,” Muruli said. The insurgency by the then Uganda People’s Army (UPA) of Col. Peter Otai forced them to flee to Kadugu in Masindi Port sub-county. The minister’s response follows an outcry by the Soroti district leadership and area MPs that the herdsmen were a security risk since they were carrying guns and their cows had diseases.

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