Army recovers over 3,000 stolen cows in Karamoja

The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) have recovered 3,114 stolen head of cattle in operations against cattle rustling in Karamoja.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, the army deputy spokesperson, Lt. Col. Deo Akiiki, said 88 illegal firearms and 357 bullets were also recovered.

"We had an upsurge in cross-border cattle raids between January and April this year in the region," he said.

Akiiki said the UPDF recorded the success from January to date when they stepped up operations against cattle raids. Akiiki said 146 people have been arrested from both the Kenyan and Ugandan side of the frontier over-involvement in the crime.

The operations in Karamoja are also aimed at recovering the illegal guns that remained behind during the disarmament exercise. According to security and local leaders, guns which are in the hands of wrong elements are a threat to peace.

The army says it will continue to deal with the wrong elements in the region until total peace is attained. Reports indicate incidents of cattle raids by suspected Karimojong warriors have persisted in the sub-region despite enhanced vigilance by security and other stakeholders.

The army attributes the success of the exercise to cooperation with the local leaders in the region. Recently, about 20 armed Karimojong warriors raided a kraal in Aringa, Agago district, running away with over 70 head of cattle.

However, they were pursued by the army, together with the Police's Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) and intercepted at Lomoro village in Ngora parish and all the livestock recovered.

In another incident, security agencies went after five cattle rustlers that escaped with bullet injuries sustained during a fierce battle with the army in Kween district.

According to the 2019 annual crime report, 7,665 cases of cattle theft were reported compared to 7,161 reported in 2018, which is an increase of 7.0%.