Cattle rustlers have resorted to making guns so as to continue with criminal activities
Security officers in Karamoja region have noticed with concern the increasing number of home-made guns being recovered in the region.
This was revealed by Karamoja regional police Spokesperson Micheal Longole on Monday while addressing the media on the weekly security updates.
Mr Longole said they have so far recovered three home made guns during their operations since the beginning of this year.
The Karamoja home made gun is manufactured with timber using a gun zigzag spring with enough force to detonate a bullet the same way as the factory made one.
According to Longole, three days ago they recovered one homemade gun from one of the cattle rustlers who was killed in action in Abim district where they had gone to raid animals.
“That gun also fires and it kills, but we shall deal with them properly,” he said.
He noted that the development of making homemade guns in the region shows that the Karimojong are not about to stop carrying out criminal activities, adding that the government will continue teaching them to understand in various ways.
In the just ended month of February, several road ambushes have taken place, an indicator that insecurity has seriously returned to Karamoja after 15 years of peace since government had successfully removed the guns from Karamoja in a comprehensive disarmament programme.
Joel Lobur, one of the residents in Moroto said the security forces need to admit that they have failed to contain the situation in Karamoja.
“We are seeing many soldiers and police deployed in Karamoja but we are not feeling the impact their presence,” he said.
According to Mr Lobur, many projects geared to help transform the communities in Karamoja have remained stagnant due to insecurity.
Goreti Nakiru, one of the peace activists in Rupa sub county in Moroto district, appealed President Museveni to consider deploying fresh commanders in Karamoja.
“As long as the current commanders and not transferred and new ones deployed, Karamoja will never have peace,” she said.
-URN
