allAfrica.com: Uganda: Locals, Wildlife Authority Battle for Mt Elgon Forest (Page 1 of 2)

FOR 32-year-old Andrew Namasoko, staring death in the face is an everyday experience. A chill goes down his spine whenever he recalls that fateful day in October last year, when Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guards confronted three of them for allegedly killing two young antelopes in Kapchorwa-Bugimotwa village of Mt. Elgon forest.

That morning, two armed guards got them unaware at the forest's extreme end, shot and instantly killed two of his friends; Alan Wofuba, 26, and Peter Nandila as they tried to flee from the scene of crime armed with one gun and two bows and arrows.

"We were hunting and had got our biggest catch for the week when we were confronted by two guards. We struggled to escape, but unfortunately the guards caught up with us and opened fire, killing two of my trusted friends and shot me in the leg and arm. This made me crippled," he says, with tears welling up in his eyes.

Namasoko fell in the bush with his friends and he was left for dead. With the guards away from the scene, he could neither walk nor stand up. He crawled towards the nearest footpath in the dense forest, where he was rescued by another poacher, who rushed him to the hospital. An amputation was recommended for his badly injured foot and arm. He now uses crutches to walk and his hunting life is no more.

The recent eviction of the Bennet from part of Mt.Elgon's protected area was the climax of the many clashes between the locals and UWA.

Namasoko, Wofuba and Nandila's lives are a representation of hundreds of poachers forced to hunt wildlife in Mt. Elgon to survive the biting poverty, hunger and disease - but poaching is like shaking death by the hand in the forest.

Forest guards roam the forest protecting it from illegal poachers, loggers and those engaged in cutting down trees for firewood and charcoal.

They target poachers because they believe they are destroying wildlife and confronting them is the only way to scare them.

Pushed to the wall by poverty, ignorance, and marginalisation, the poachers cannot afford basic needs like clothing and good shelter. That is why many people in the area have turned to poaching.

However, many people feel that UWA guards are heavy handed in dealing with the poor people. "UWA is so cruel. This is the only area for survival and livelihood, for our community. The forest is ours and we have depended on it for years without destruction from organisations like UWA."

"We have used it for hunting wild animals, collecting fuel wood and building materials. Why kill the people? We are hurt because UWA is using illegal ways to handle a simple problem. This is massacre and if nothing is done, the major conflict brewing between us will result into a fight for our forest, against the people who want to prevent us from using our resources," says Felix Beswa, a community leader of the area.

The poachers confess that going into the wilderness to hunt is dangerous but they cannot stop. "I only feel safe once am back home. But I cannot stop poaching because it will mean sleeping hungry. I would rather die while looking for food to survive than starve," adds Beswa.

Like Namasoko, other poachers like Martin Gambwa have not been that lucky. In 2006, Gambwa was shot in the right arm by UWA guards when he was caught red-handed felling a tree for timber.

In the scuffle which involved one guard, Gambwa wrestled him, but ended up sustaining a bullet wound when the guard pulled the trigger. Luckily enough, it was minor and he managed to flee for his life.

"I was almost killed but my strength helped me," he says. In Bugimotwa, some 20 kilometres away from Gambwa's home, the community is campaigning against the killings by UWA.

The community argues that UWA should arrest the culprits and the court be brought in to solve the situation, rather than shoot the suspects on sight.

According to Rev. Nathan Manana: "This is not the right method of protecting a forest which people use for their benefit. UWA needs to take the culprits to court and the due process followed, otherwise this is unethical and the community will fight to the end."

The Reverend advises that what UWA needs to do is to sensitise the forest community about the benefits of the forest.

Part of the problem is that UWA has excluded the people from the management of the forest. The community does not receive any benefits from the forest with UWA in charge and therefore feel isolated.

"We are very disappointed by UWA. We know this is our forest and we also know that we are entitled to the benefits from it. Unfortunately, since UWA started managing the forest in 1993, when it was gazetted into a forest reserve, cutting of trees for timber by rich people has accelerated, but UWA has not even constructed a simple hospital, road or even a mere borehole.

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