K’jong resume gun trafficking â€" RDC
MOROTO resident district commissioner John Abingwa has said Karimojong warriors had taken advantage of the thin presence of the army and had begun to acquire new guns.
By Richard Otim
MOROTO resident district commissioner John Abingwa has said Karimojong warriors had taken advantage of the thin presence of the army and had begun to acquire new guns.
He was recently briefing the district council about the security situation and the disarmament programme at the district chambers.
Abingwa asked the Government to step up security vigilance on its Karamoja border to curb the renewed arms trafficking into the region.
He said the number of illegal guns in the district had increased, making it difficult to take stock of the disarmament success.
“We have virtually gone back to where we were (before disarmament). The Government failed to provide protection to those (communities) that had massively handed in their illegal guns. That is the cause of this fresh insecurity,†Abingwa, also the district security committee chairperson, said.
Abingwa said the guns were smuggled into the region from Sudan through the Kidepo-Kaabong corridor in Kotido district.
He said the region could not mantain the insecurity that had deteriorated since the beginning of the year.
He said the district lacks funds to maintain the locally recruited Local Defense Units (LDUs).
Abingwa said this had made it difficult for the district to crack down on cattle rustling and inter- ethnic clashes in the district.
“We are appealing to government to squeeze some funds for us to be able to sustain these people (LDUs),†Abingwa said.
MOROTO resident district commissioner John Abingwa has said Karimojong warriors had taken advantage of the thin presence of the army and had begun to acquire new guns.
He was recently briefing the district council about the security situation and the disarmament programme at the district chambers.
Abingwa asked the Government to step up security vigilance on its Karamoja border to curb the renewed arms trafficking into the region.
He said the number of illegal guns in the district had increased, making it difficult to take stock of the disarmament success.
“We have virtually gone back to where we were (before disarmament). The Government failed to provide protection to those (communities) that had massively handed in their illegal guns. That is the cause of this fresh insecurity,†Abingwa, also the district security committee chairperson, said.
Abingwa said the guns were smuggled into the region from Sudan through the Kidepo-Kaabong corridor in Kotido district.
He said the region could not mantain the insecurity that had deteriorated since the beginning of the year.
He said the district lacks funds to maintain the locally recruited Local Defense Units (LDUs).
Abingwa said this had made it difficult for the district to crack down on cattle rustling and inter- ethnic clashes in the district.
“We are appealing to government to squeeze some funds for us to be able to sustain these people (LDUs),†Abingwa said.