Four bombs recovered in Maracha
Oct 29, 2009
Residents of Ovuju village in Maracha/Terego district have recovered four motor-bombs that were planted on the Arua-Koboko road.
By Frank Mugabi
Residents of Ovuju village in Maracha/Terego district have recovered four motor-bombs that were planted on the Arua-Koboko road.
The assistant chief administrative officer, William Aya, who was the first local authority to visit the scene, said the explosives were uncovered by 20 people, who were cultivating a communal garden on Saturday.
“One of the farmers hit his hoe onto an electric wire, and when they traced its origin, they found it was connected to four underground bombs,†Aya said.
Military experts from the Arua-based UPDF Brigade headquarters were called in to recover the explosives.
The regional army spokesperson, Capt. Peter Mugisa, said according to their positioning, the bombs were intended to hit traffic on the Arua-Koboko road.
“From their pattern, one explosion would automatically trigger off the others,†Mugisa said.
He, however, clarified that their analysis indicated that the bombs were planted during the past insurgency.
“They were rusty, which showed that they had stayed underground for a long time,†Mugisa noted.
Recently, a series of explosives have been reported in Arua, Koboko and Yumbe districts.
Mugisa said loose ammunitions were common in the region.
Early this month, a grenade hit a gardener near Arua town and left him hospitalised.
Before that, a landmine hit a grader that was opening up a new road in Koboko and a grenade killed a child in Yumbe.
Aya recalled that Ovuju village was in 1996 infested by the West Nile Bank Front.
He said the area could be holding more explos- ives and appealed to the UPDF to conduct further surveys.
Aya also challenged the former fighters in the communities, to help identify areas where they planted the bombs.
Mugisa urged the local population to continue reporting any suspected items to the authorities.
The residents hailed the UPDF for their quick response.
Residents of Ovuju village in Maracha/Terego district have recovered four motor-bombs that were planted on the Arua-Koboko road.
The assistant chief administrative officer, William Aya, who was the first local authority to visit the scene, said the explosives were uncovered by 20 people, who were cultivating a communal garden on Saturday.
“One of the farmers hit his hoe onto an electric wire, and when they traced its origin, they found it was connected to four underground bombs,†Aya said.
Military experts from the Arua-based UPDF Brigade headquarters were called in to recover the explosives.
The regional army spokesperson, Capt. Peter Mugisa, said according to their positioning, the bombs were intended to hit traffic on the Arua-Koboko road.
“From their pattern, one explosion would automatically trigger off the others,†Mugisa said.
He, however, clarified that their analysis indicated that the bombs were planted during the past insurgency.
“They were rusty, which showed that they had stayed underground for a long time,†Mugisa noted.
Recently, a series of explosives have been reported in Arua, Koboko and Yumbe districts.
Mugisa said loose ammunitions were common in the region.
Early this month, a grenade hit a gardener near Arua town and left him hospitalised.
Before that, a landmine hit a grader that was opening up a new road in Koboko and a grenade killed a child in Yumbe.
Aya recalled that Ovuju village was in 1996 infested by the West Nile Bank Front.
He said the area could be holding more explos- ives and appealed to the UPDF to conduct further surveys.
Aya also challenged the former fighters in the communities, to help identify areas where they planted the bombs.
Mugisa urged the local population to continue reporting any suspected items to the authorities.
The residents hailed the UPDF for their quick response.