UPDF recovers over 500 Katakwi cattle

More than 500 head of cattle raided by the Karimojong from Ngariam sub-county in Katakwi district have been recovered, reports Nathan Etengu in Soroti. The UPDF operations commander in-charge the Soroti sector, Lt. Col. Sam Kavuma, on Tuesday said the cattle were recovered near Napak hills, Nabilatuk county after a helicopter gun-ship showered the raiders with bombs. “We followed them up to Nabilatuk and when they saw the helicopter, they started running up and down,” Kavuma said. The cows were raided in a deadly attack by the warriors in which 15 people were killed and 12 others, including a three-day old baby were injured. The baby’s mother was also killed in the raid. Kavuma said the helicopter fired at the raiders forcing them to abandon the cows before ground troops were sent to collect them. But he said the raiders, who survived the helicopter fire, could easily be arrested if the leadership in Moroto and Nakapiripirit cooperated with the Government. The Katakwi Resident District Commissioner, David Masereka, also confirmed the recovery of the cattle. He said the raiders were “taught” a lesson. Masereka described as baseless, allegations by some leaders in Moroto that the lynching of the seven Karimojong and two Iteso in Katakwi on Friday was organised by the district leadership. “This was a mob that took the law into their own hands,” he said. Masereka said his office was investigating allegations that John Acetu, the district chief finance officer, and Charles Elangot, a former campaign manager for Col. Kizza Besigye, were behind the lynching. The Bokora county MP, Patrick Apuun, was yesterday quoted as saying that the people of Katakwi had hatched a plan to exterminate the Karimojong. The raid had sparked off bitter sentiments by the people in Teso over government’s un-fulfiled promise to disarm the Karimojong. An angry mob in Katakwi avenged the attack by killing seven Karimojong and the two Iteso in Katakwi town and Ocorimongin cattle market. The victims, from Bokora county, Moroto district, had travelled to the market to buy merchandise unaware that their kinsmen from Pian county in the newly created Nakapiripirit district had carried out a deadly raid.