David Mafabi
25 July 2008
Karamoja — Uganda People's Defence Forces is still pursuing heavily armed Sudanese Topotha warriors who crossed in the country on July 17, and were involved in a battle with the UPDF at Kanangorok, near Murongole hills in Kaabong District.
Eight Topotha warriors were killed in the battle that lasted two hours. The UPDF overpowered the Topotha warriors and they fled. Sources in Mt Kidepo National Park say the Topotha warriors had been surrounded by the UPDF at the park and that they were moving towards Zuria Forest to find a possible route back to Southern Sudan.
The Third Division Operations and Training Officer, Col. Paul Loketch on Thursday said: "About 30 heavily armed Topotha warriors entered Uganda, violating the international territorial integrity of our country. Although we killed eight and many of them fled in disarray, we are still pursuing them for possible arrest, disarmament and handover to the South Sudan government."
The Third division spokeman, Captain Henry Obbo, confirmed that the UPDF had surrounded the warriors in Kidepo National Park and blocked all routes the warriors could use to get back to south Sudan.
Capt. Obbo said the army recovered five loaded sub-machine guns from the warriors.
He said the warriors entered Uganda through Kidepo National park last weekand they killed Karimojong women before the Army fought them.
Capt. Obbo said the Topotha warriors wanted to exchange guns for cattle from the Dodoth, an ethnic Karimojong tribe.
Sources in Kaabong said the Topotha usually traffick arms to Uganda through Kidepo National park to the Dodoth who later sell the arms to other Karimojong ethnic tribes thereby stalling the government disarmament exercise in Karamoja.
The RDC Kaabong, Mr Godfrey Kiwanda revealed that the Topotha besides trafficking guns, also poach animals in Kidepo National Park.
Capt. Obbo said the operations against the Topotha would continue.
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