According to Edrin Mawanda, the 5th infantry Division public information officer, the joint operation is being conducted in phases with a primary focus on Aswa and Maruzi ranche, and Apac Forest areas.
The Uganda
People's Defense Forces (UPDF) has launched the first phase of
Operation Harmony, aimed at evicting unauthorized pastoralist groups from the
Acholi and Lango sub-region.
The
operation followed a security meeting held at the 5th Infantry Division
Headquarters in Acholi Pii, Pader District. The meeting was chaired by Major General Keith Katungi, the 5th
Infantry Division Commander, and attended by members of the district security
committees from Apac and Pader.
According
to Edrin Mawanda, the 5th Infantry Division's public information
officer, the joint operation will be conducted in phases with a focus on
Aswa and Maruzi ranch, and Apac Forest areas.
//Cue in: “Today
we have…
Cue out: …achieve
our target.”//
The first
phase of the joint operation, expected to last 30 days, started with sensitising
the masses, the landowners, the local leaders, and the community of cattle keepers
to leave voluntarily. The second phase will expand to cover the
entire Acholi and Lango sub-regions.
This is in
line with the President’s second eviction order aimed at allowing the audit on
cattle keepers claiming they legitimately bought land, have fenced their farms’
sanctuary, have permanent water sources and have not blocked access to the
permanent water sources, and therefore cannot be evicted.
The
president has gone ahead to appoint a committee of 10 lawyers to audit claims of
legitimate land transactions and ownership in northern by the Balaalo.
