Matek
8,000 Militia Fighters Quit
Email This Page
Print This Page
Visit The Publisher's Site
The Monitor (Kampala)
January 9, 2004
Posted to the web January 9, 2004
Mercy Nalugo
Kampala
More than 6,000 members of the Amuka militia group have quit.
Officials in Lira told The Monitor last evening that the militiamen, who were recruited to help the army fight the Lord's Resistance Army rebels, had grown restless.
The militia fighters also cited harassment from their instructors and poor conditions within which they were training.
"They had very little food and at times trained on empty stomachs," said an official, who declined to be named.
The decision to quit followed a meeting with officials from the Resident District Commissioner's office, which failed to solve the impasse.
The meeting was held at Aler Farm Training Camp in Erute North County.
Relevant Links
East Africa
Uganda
Arms and Military Affairs
"The boys raised their complaints but somebody from the RDC's office said all those who wanted to go should leave immediately and they walked back to their counties," the official said.
Army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza declined to comment when contacted by telephone last night.
