By Mulengera Reporters
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) have recovered 24 head of cattle from suspected Karamojong rustlers in Otuke District.
The suspected raiders about seven in number stormed Oliduru Village, Acanpii parish, Ogwete sub-county in Otuke District on Monday morning where they raided the home of one Milton Ouni and took away 10 head of cattle.
The raiders also injured Betty Acen whom they found at home using an arrow. She is currently receiving treatment at Abim Hospital in the Abim district. Joint security forces recovered the animals in an operation on Monday afternoon.
On Monday night, another group of raiders took 9 head of cattle belonging to Solomon Okuk and 10 from Yuventino Okori. Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga police spokesperson, says that the affected people reported the theft at Otuke Central Police Station prompting the UPDF, ASTU, and police from Abim district to launch an operation to recover the animals.
Sabila Dadat, the Otuke District Police Commander, says that the raiders managed to escape and avoided all ambushes set to intercept them. “We set ambushes in all the exit routes but they never passed. Actually, the ASTU and UPDF are still laying ambushed to arrest them,” he said. Several people have lost animals and their lives trying to defend themselves and protect their animals from being raided.
George Oguti, a resident of the Ogwete sub-county, says that the locals are afraid of losing their animals as well as their lives because the cattle raiders are killing anyone who stands in between them and the cattle.
James Epuru, a resident of Otang LC I in Alir parish in Ogwete sub-county, says that although locals in his area are locking animals in their houses. He, however, says that the raiders usually force them to open the house or die trying to protect their animals.
The UPDF has been deployed along the Teso- Karamoja border to stop suspected Karimojong warriors from raiding livestock from the Teso sub-region. Over the past few months, locals in Alebtong, Otuke, Kapelebyong and Nabilatuk districts, which neighbor Karamoja have been living in fear of the Karamojong cattle rustlers who storm their kraals and take away their animals-URN (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [whatsapp line], 0779411734 & 0200900416 or email us at [email protected]). 
