The conflict of the Kalenjin speaking tribes in Uganda Pokot of Amudat in Karamoja and Sabiny of Mt Elgon in Uganda have reached to the highest peak after the Sabiny blocked the Pokot pastoralists from crossing to graze their livestock in Sebei land.
In retaliation, the Pokot community has also given ultimatum of two days to all the Sabiny speaking tribe working in various offices of Amudat district to leave the district within two days.
By Thursday the meeting called by the district leaders attended by the resident district commissioner Amudat George Owanyi and his deputy Akol had no option but to succumb into the pressure by the political leaders to flash out all the Sabiny speaking officials who are many in Amudat district to go back to their Sebei ancestral land.
Joseph Chebet on of the community animal health worker in Amudat said many sabiny have fled the district, including teachers have packed their belongings out of Amudat.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Micheal Longole the Karamoja regional police spokesperson said security had come across the biased and sectarian information circulating on social media deepening the rift of Division between the Sabiny and the Pokot.
He confirmed that the circulating information informs the Pokot Community to chase away all the Sabiny who are residing in Amudat District and an ultimatum of two (2) days has been given to the Sabiny Community to leave the District i.e. to leave Amudat by Friday 16.02.2024.
“This biased information is purported to have originated from a meeting which was chaired by RDC Amudat and was attended by Deputy RDC, LCV Amudat, Subcounty councilors, LC3s, LC1s, some elders and few members of the Community,” he noted.
Longole added that the sectarian information undermines the supreme law of the Republic of Uganda adding that it’s the wish of security to see that people (Pokot and Sabiny communities) stay in harmony as Ugandans.
Mr. Longole further said as joint security forces, it’s their role to keep law and order and to uphold the constitution of the Republic of Uganda and ensure that the resolution passed on Thursday by the leadership of Amudat District does not cause blood shed between the two communities.
“We therefore warn RDC Amudat and his team not to cause mayhem in the District by immediately dropping that agenda and cause unity of the two communities in conflict,” he said.
According to Longole if nothing is done by the said leadership to bring unity to the two communities before 16.2.2024, security shall remain with no option but to arrest and prosecute leaders who are involved in inciting violence among the two Communities.
He said joint forces was prepared to avert the danger.
Several attempts to get a comment from woman member of parliament Betty Chelain and the member of parliament Micha Lolem Akathile and other leaders were futile as they could not respond on our several calls.
