The operation which was conducted at Ogom Raa and Tee-Got parishes in Okidi Village was led by the Environmental Police Protection Unit. Hundreds of temporary structures, piles of logs for burning, and kilns of already burning charcoal were destroyed.
Security
personnel in Attiak Sub County, Amuru district on Thursday raided and destroyed
an illegal camp of charcoal dealers.
The operation which was conducted at Ogom Raa and Tee-Got parishes in Okidi
Village was led by the Environmental Police Protection Unit. Hundreds of
temporary structures, piles of logs for burning, and kilns of already burning
charcoal were destroyed.
During the operation, two power saws and rudimentary tools which are used by
the illegal charcoal dealers were recovered and impounded by the Environmental
Police Protection Unit.
Kenneth Okot, the Chairperson for Greater Attiak says that they were alarmed by
concerns of the massive indiscriminate destruction of natural forest and tree
species in the area.
Okot explained that no illegal dealer was arrested because they could have been
tipped about the operation prompting them to flee.
//Cue in: ‘’nongo wa nongo…
Cue out: …bao ni aryo.’’//
Okot decried the extensive destruction of natural forest and natural trees
including Afzelia Africana, Mahogany, shea nut tree, and Mvule among others in
the area.
He explained that the illegal dealers have razed to ground hundreds of forest
acres living bare lands yet they illegally intruded into the areas which he
says are communally owned.
//Cue in ‘’extent of the…
Cue out: …aroo maraca dada.’’//
Last week, two of the illegal dealers were also arrested with two and a half
sacks of opium from Okidi Parish by the Attiak Sub County authorities during a
similar operation.
Samuel Akera, the Attiak Sub County Chairperson says that their major tasks in
the office are to completely wipe out illegal charcoal dealers from the
area and also protect the environment.
In a move to promote reforestation and restore the depleted environment, the
Greater Attiak area last year distributed 800,000 tree seedlings to locals of
Attiak Town Council, Attiak Sub County, and Opara Sub County.
Testimony Aol, an environmental activist advised Ugandans to desist from
environmental destruction but instead plant more trees to restore the already
destroyed environment lest they risk facing desertification.
Emmy Daniel Ojara
Freelancer