Army pays anti-ADF vigilantes

Jul 17, 2008

OVER 6,000 residents who helped the army to defeat the Allied Democratic Force rebels in western Uganda, have been paid.

By Bernard Masereka

OVER 6,000 residents who helped the army to defeat the Allied Democratic Force rebels in western Uganda, have been paid.

The payment exercise that began on July 11 in Kasese will cover all districts in the Rwenzori region.

The defence ministry recruited the vigilantes from the community to help the army defend their areas against rebel attacks. This was at the peak of the ADF insurgency in 1997.

The most affected areas were the districts of Kasese Kyejonjo, Kabarole, Kamwege and Bundibugyo.

Kaluma Matovu, the chairman of the vigilante group known as the Rwenzori Reserve Forces, said each of them was given sh100,000.

He revealed that President Yoweri Museveni had pledged to pay them sh200,000 as a-thank-you.

“A few years ago, some of us were paid sh100,000. So this is the last installment.

“The vigilantes played a great role in defeating the rebels since they were very familiar with the geography of the area.”

The widows of vigilantes, who died during the war, received the money.
The rebels attacked Uganda through the DRC-Uganda border in Kasese in November 1996 and the army defeated them in 2000.

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