Game Viewing Suspended In Murchison Park

THE Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has suspended game viewing activities in the northern bank of Murchison Falls National Park, reports Joseph Olanyo. A statement signed by the UWA executive director, Dr. Robbie Robinson, said transport through the park to Pakwach had also been suspended following the Tuesday murder there. The statement said the suspension would continue until the authorities deem it unnecessary. "In the meantime, game viewing activities in the northern bank and the traffic through the Murchison Falls National Park to Pakwach have been suspended until we ascertain who these bad people are and how to deal with them," it said. He said UWA regretted the incident in which 12 students from Sekasi Institute of Catering and their director, Sekasi, were ambushed by unknown gunmen suspected to be Kony rebels. A number of tour companies yesterday said the incident would affect their business. They said some bookings had been cancelled and there was a possibility of more travel cancellations by their customers. "This incident is going to impact on our business so much because this has been one of the safest routes to the northern bank. Most visitors we have been making bookings for had confidence in this route. "We're just waiting to see what will happen next," a tour operator said. The United States on Wednesday advised its citizens to avoid travel to the park. Ends