Kampala — Poor co-ordination in the disarmament of nomadic pastoralists in Karamoja is derailing successes registered by the Government, the regional co-operation minister, Isaac Musumba, has said.

Musumba said one of the challenges to the disarmament exercise is some neighbouring communities are armed.

"The concern of the Karimojong has been that disarmament would render them vulnerable," Musumba said.

Issues of insecurity like illegal gun trafficking and cattle-rustling are shared by all communities across the borders, Musumba said.

He was speaking at the opening of a two-day regional meeting at Imperial Botanical Hotel in Entebbe on Monday.

Lt. Col. Abdu Rugumayo, the UPDF intelligence coordinator for the disarmament exercise, urged the regional governments to engage each other in the exercise.

The army said 80% of the Karimojong pastoralists have been disarmed and 30,000 guns retrieved and destroyed since 2001.