52 Die in Two-Day Clash Over Cattle On Border
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The Nation (Nairobi)
January 11, 2003
Posted to the web January 10, 2003
Nairobi
At least 52 people died in two days of fighting between rival communities,
using spears and guns, in north-eastern Uganda, an army spokesman said
yesterday.
The clashes erupted on Monday when Pokots from Kenya crossed the border and
attacked Karamojong herdsmen in Nakapiripirit district, 380 kilometres
northeast of Kampala, said Major Shaban Bantariza.
The fighting ended on Tuesday when the Uganda army intervened, Mr Bantariza
said.
At least 35 Kenyans and 17 Ugandans were killed, he said, adding that the
death toll could rise as more bodies are discovered in the remote area.
Some of the Pokots, Mr Bantariza said, escaped with dozens of cattle after
the raid.
The Karamojong and the Pokot are nomadic herders who traditionally attack
neighbouring communities for cattle.
But the West Pokot District Commissioner, Mr Abdullahi Leloon, the local
police chief, Mr Marcus Ochola and Kacheliba MP Mr Samuel Poghisio, said they
had not received reports of casualties from Kenya.
Speaking to the Nation separately by telephone, the leaders said although
there were many Kenyan Pokots who had migrated to Uganda in search of pasture
and water for their livestock, there was no evidence that they were involved
in the fighting.
"Ugandan security men are good people. If our people were involved, I'm sure
they would have informed us," Mr Ochola said.
He added: "In the past, Ugandan security forces crossed to Kacheliba if they
had evidence our people were involved in attacks to inform us. Since they
have not done so since Monday, it means they know who the culprits are."
Mr Ochola said two people injured in the attacks were recuperating at the
Kapenguria District Hospital but that their identity was unknown.
Since November 2001, the Ugandan army has been carrying out a campaign to
disarm the Karamojong in a bid to reduce tribal fighting, but some members of
the community have been reluctant to hand over their weapons.
In the 1990s, the army trained and armed the community so it could defend
itself against attacks by cattle rustlers.
Mr Bantariza said Uganda would launch a hunt in north western Kenya to
recover the stolen cattle.
