Francis Mugerwa
11 May 2008
Hoima — Hoima District has been invaded by a gang of criminals who have been terrorising people in western Uganda by disguising as rebels, the army has said.
The UPDF 2 Division Spokesman Capt.Tabaro Kiconco said the criminals are disguising as rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
He said they are stealing property and killing people in the districts of Kibaale, Kyenjojo and Bundibugyo. "Our intelligence shows that people who have done several illegal acts in these districts are not rebels but locally organised criminals," Capt. Kiconco told the Sunday Monitor last week.
He said some gangs move at night, kidnap people and later release them which acts have instilled fear amongst locals who think the ADF rebels have resumed their activities in the region.
He said last month, a group of unidentified criminals stole five goats in Nyankwanzi Sub-county, Kyenjojo District. He said in the same month, the criminals kidnapped a boy in Nyamugura village.
He said the boy was later discovered wrapped in a polythene bag.
He said the gangsters mainly operate in the sub-counties of Bufunjo, Kandama and areas near River Muziizi.
"The army regrets the fear that has been visited to the masses by these criminals. But we urge the wanainchi to calm down and co-operate with security officials to apprehend the suspected culprits," he said.
ADF rebels have been fighting the government for over a decade. The rebel outfit is accused of killing more than 60 students of Kicwamba Technical College in 1998, when they set ablaze one of the dormitories.
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