Bagungu defy court order
Jun 19, 2007
Bagungu farmers in Buliisa district yesterday cleared part of the disputed land in preparation for cotton planting as the anti-riot Police looked on.
By Amlan Tumusiime
Bagungu farmers in Buliisa district yesterday cleared part of the disputed land in preparation for cotton planting as the anti-riot Police looked on.
Over 600 farmers armed with machetes and axes said they did not want the herdsmen to live on their land.
“If we stop them from clearing the land, we might escalate the situation,†the Police spokesperson, Asan Kasingye, said.
Their action is in defiance of a High Court order which stopped the eviction of the herdsmen (Balaalo) on Friday.
The case will be heard on June 27.
“We are not aware of the court order. These people will have to leave,†said the area MP Stephen Birahwa.
Over 100 Police officers were deployed in Bugana and Waiga villages to prevent clashes between the two groups.
All routes leading to Buliisa have roadblocks following reports that some Bagungu farmers in others parts of the country were planning to ferry guns into the district.
Meanwhile, several Balaalo women and children are camping in Bugana trading centre after the farmers invaded the disputed piece of land on Tuesday.
“We spent millions of shillings buying the land but now, we are landless. We want to leave because it is better to lose the money than our lives,†a 38-year-old breast-feeding Mulaalo woman said.
The Government last week provided five square miles of land in Kyankwanzi, Kiboga district to resettle over 200 families of the herdsmen.
The decision came after the herdsmen, who own over 12,000 head of cattle, clashed with the Bagungu – the indigenous people of Buliisa, over land.
Over 10 people, including Birahwa, were injured in the clashes last month.
As a result, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the lands state minister, Kasirivu Atwooki and the Intelligence Services Coordinator, Gen. David Tinyefuza, to intervene in the matter.
Buliisa, which is situated west of Masindi and east of Lake Albert, was granted a district status last year.
Hoima district, which is also in Bunyoro Kingdom, is south of Buliisa. Recently, oil deposits were discovered in the area.
Bagungu farmers in Buliisa district yesterday cleared part of the disputed land in preparation for cotton planting as the anti-riot Police looked on.
Over 600 farmers armed with machetes and axes said they did not want the herdsmen to live on their land.
“If we stop them from clearing the land, we might escalate the situation,†the Police spokesperson, Asan Kasingye, said.
Their action is in defiance of a High Court order which stopped the eviction of the herdsmen (Balaalo) on Friday.
The case will be heard on June 27.
“We are not aware of the court order. These people will have to leave,†said the area MP Stephen Birahwa.
Over 100 Police officers were deployed in Bugana and Waiga villages to prevent clashes between the two groups.
All routes leading to Buliisa have roadblocks following reports that some Bagungu farmers in others parts of the country were planning to ferry guns into the district.
Meanwhile, several Balaalo women and children are camping in Bugana trading centre after the farmers invaded the disputed piece of land on Tuesday.
“We spent millions of shillings buying the land but now, we are landless. We want to leave because it is better to lose the money than our lives,†a 38-year-old breast-feeding Mulaalo woman said.
The Government last week provided five square miles of land in Kyankwanzi, Kiboga district to resettle over 200 families of the herdsmen.
The decision came after the herdsmen, who own over 12,000 head of cattle, clashed with the Bagungu – the indigenous people of Buliisa, over land.
Over 10 people, including Birahwa, were injured in the clashes last month.
As a result, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the lands state minister, Kasirivu Atwooki and the Intelligence Services Coordinator, Gen. David Tinyefuza, to intervene in the matter.
Buliisa, which is situated west of Masindi and east of Lake Albert, was granted a district status last year.
Hoima district, which is also in Bunyoro Kingdom, is south of Buliisa. Recently, oil deposits were discovered in the area.