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Uganda: Army Cancels Amnesty for Karimojong Warriors
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The Monitor (Kampala)
25 March 2008
Posted to the web 24 March 2008
David Mafabi
Moroto
THE army will not grant any more amnesty to Karimojong warriors arrested with guns. According to the division commander, Brig. Patrick Kankiriho, any Karimojong warrior arrested with an illegal gun shall be court martialled immediately and sentenced to imprisonment.
Under the UPDF amnesty - any Karimojong warrior who voluntarily hands over a gun or is arrested with a gun during cordon and search operation, is to be set free after handing over the gun.
The army's decision to scrap amnesty was reached last Sunday in response to an earlier request by the council of leaders for Karamoja region chaired by five speakers of the five districts in Karamoja on 13 and 14 of December last year to end amnesty and have armed warriors executed by firing squad.
The Karamoja councils' assembly is a huge gathering that includes all the district councils in Karamoja region, ministers, Members of Parliament, under secretaries from or working in the sub-region, donors and religious organisations.
Brig. Kankiriho said the army has taken the decision after carefully studying the situation in Karamoja region from December 14 last year to date.
"After studying the situation in Karamoja for almost three months, we have now taken a decision to scrap the amnesty that we have been granting to the Karimojong warriors. And from now onwards, any warrior who shall be arrested with a gun, he/she whether a child or an elderly person shall be court martialled immediately and sentenced in accordance with the laws governing Uganda," Brig. Kankiriho said by phone on Monday.
He said although the army has been giving amnesty to the warriors, many of them have been un-cooperative to surrender the guns voluntarily and have decided to abandon their homes for the bushes and caves in order to retain the guns.
Brig Kankiriho revealed that in an operation codenamed storm operation, the army started new tactics of searching Manyattas (homesteads) and kraals to get rid of the illicit guns now in the hands of hardcore criminals.
He said during the operation on Sunday, the army arrested 19 Karimojong warriors, recovered 19 Submachine guns [SMGs], 136 live ammunitions, 9 empty magazines of SMGs, two empty boxes of 12.7 mm gun and 2 locally made chains for carrying bullets at Nakidolo, Lokunget parish in Lupa sub-county in Moroto District.
When contacted for a comment, the 3rd division UPDF spokesman, Capt. Henry Obbo confirmed that UPDF has scrapped the amnesty.
"Yes, everything has got a beginning and an end, disarmament began and must end as soon as possible and yesterday marked the beginning of a new era of disarmament where the culprits will be court martialled immediately and sentenced," Capt. Obbo said.
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Capt. Obbo said 19 Karimajong warriors arrested with guns are due to face the court martial as the UPDF works to show its determination to remove all illicit guns and bring peace to Karamoja region.
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