Moves to Rescue Apiriti Border Market Abandoned Due to Insecurity

Apiriti Market in Madi Opei Sub County in Lamwo district remains deserted due to persistent insecurity. 

 

The market worth 35 million shillings was constructed in 2015 by the Ministry of Agriculture Animals and Fisheries Industries (MAAIF) to boost animal trade between Uganda and South Sudan. 

 

It is situated along the Apiriti-Teretenya-Ikotos road at the borders between Uganda and South Sudan.   However, businesses in the market have been on standstill for more than three years after it was operationalized.  

Leaders and traders in the area owe this to the persistent armed attacks in the area perpetrated by suspected South Sudanese and Karimojong warriors.   

Robert Opira Odit, the Councilor representing Madi Opei Town Council told URN that last week armed rustlers attacked traders in the area, and shot and killed one before walking away with a herd of cattle.   

Opira noted that the incident was just one of the many that are registered in the area often.   

For over three years now traders have abandoned the weekly market in Apiriti and shifted to Madi Opei Trading Centre which they deem safer.

  

Opira disclosed that in a move to ensure peace in the areas, they are engaging religious and cultural leaders from the two countries through Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu to conduct peace meetings.   

//Cue in: ''we are going...//Cue out: ...affected the market.''//The Lamwo Resident District Commissioner, Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, said that the security situation in the area is volatile and has pushed out traders leaving the market idle. 

 

He explained that they have for long engaged the security authorities of South Sudan to beef up security in the area so that the market serves its purpose and improves the people's livelihoods.

  

For the South Sudanese part, Joseph Kolong, the Commissioner of Ikotos County State said that they have beefed up intelligence in the area to curb the unbecoming armed attacks.