By Kabuye Ronald
Fights over land, timber and commercial charcoal dealings have been cited as the major cause of violence in the disputed Apaa area, part of Zoka forest in Adjuma in District.
Residents of the area have accused leaders of using sections of people to destabilize their area in Itirikwa Sub County for them to continue benefiting without interruptions.
The residents led by Olima Abiriga, a peace maker in the Madi Community separately appealed to the higher authorities to investigate and bring to book security officers and leaders in Adjumani District and Acholi areas for perpetuating land grabbing against the Acholi people living in Apaa area.
“We have been living peacefully but some people are not interested in peace because they earn from the area once there is violence. Some leaders mobilise sections of people to attack the Acholi community and grab their land and when these people are arrested, the police release them immediately,” Abiriga said in an interview.
He said that whenever groups of Madi people are arrested, they are released with their weapons without any action by the Police, an indication that the matter is of interest to those in authority.
On April 9, a group of 12 people were rescued by the army commanded by Major Trevor Kibuuka and the Madi Paramount Chief Stephen Drani who were called in to stop a mob action against suspected arsonists.
The residents wondered how the army and a team of civilians led by Paramount Chief Stephen Drani who came in to save the situation can be accused of torture and other offences committed by suspects whom they saved from the angry residents.
It is alleged that at least ten people from the Madi community were arrested by the Acholi residents who owned the houses that were burnt on Easter Day, April 9 this year.
The attack came three weeks after the army commanded by Major Kibuuka stopped all trucks going to Apaa to carry timber and charcoal which angered sections of leaders who benefit from collection levies on the trucks.
One of the residents from the Madi Community who declined to be named for safety of his life, accused the Police, a section of army officers and the Adjumani leadership of unfairness and biasness while discharging their duties in Apaa area.
The resident of Goro B Village accused the Police of coercing the suspects arrested in the arson attack to state that they were beaten by the army to claim for compensation from the government.
According to the residents, the violence in Apaa area is facilitated by the political leaders jointly with their counterparts in security in Adjumani District for their selfish interests in commercial charcoal dealings and logging in Zoka forest reserve.
They said that the accusations of torture and attempted against Paramount Chief Drani and Maj Kibuuka are aimed at maligning them and interfere with the peace initiatives that they are promoting between the Madi and the Acholi.
Simon Oyet Awira, the chairperson of Awira Village that neighbors Goro B Village blamed the current violence to powerful individuals in security who are benefiting from the impasse.
“I appeal to the higher authorities in government to take interest in this matter. We have groups of people where one side is fighting for peace and another is promoting violence because it is where they benefit from,” Awira said.
Awira from the Acholi community revealed that the current standoff in the Apaa area is for some people who want to grab land occupied by the Acholi in the Madi area which threatens tribal tensions in the country.
Meanwhile Paramount Chief Drani has since been imprisoned on accusations of torture.
When contacted, Major Kibuuka declined to comment on the matter citing lack of authority to speak to the public
But a UPDF officer privy to the matter said that on two occasions, Major Kibuuka took the suspects from Adjumani to Amuru which angered Adjumani leadership and some army commanders because those are their people they use to grab land.
The army man who declined to be named further revealed that his commander has since deployment as a commanding officer been sensitising people in security meetings to stop engaging in illegal and /fraudulent land transactions which also did not go well with the beneficiaries.
