Conflict Assessment Report for the Month of November 2016
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UGANDA: CONFLICT ASSESSMENT REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2016 Issue Date: 7th December 2016 Disclaimer This publication was produced for review by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Supporting Access to Justice, Fostering Equity & Peace (SAFE) Program. The author’s views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. National Overview Tensions are very high in the Rwenzori sub region following a violent incident in Kasese district on 26th of November which left more than one hundred (100) people dead. A joint team of the army and police raided the palace (Buhikira) of the King Charles Wesley Mumbere of the Rwenzururu Kingdom (Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu) in Kasese district where more than forty six (46) royal guards were killed during the bloody confrontation.1 The attack on the palace followed a series of attacks around the districts of Kabarole, Ntoroko, Bundibugyo and Kasese that have been going on for quite sometime including attacks on various police stations by suspected royal guards where sixteen (16) policemen were killed.2 Prior to the palace attack, the security forces had issued the Omusinga with a number of ultimatums to hand over his royal guards. The security forces even raided the Kingdom’s administrative offices looking for the royal guards.3 Immediately after the palace attack incident the Omusinga was arrested and charged with murder of a police constable Geoffrey Kasimba in March 2016 and other terrorist charges.4 A number of people including more than two hundred (200) royal guards have also been arrested and will be charged in courts of law for terrorist activities. For now, at least seventy (70) bodies have been handed to their families for burial while other unclaimed bodies have been buried in mass graves. A number of people are missing and hundreds of residents are anxious about the whereabouts of their missing relatives. A Parliamentary Commission, the Uganda Human Rights Commission and a number of stakeholders have rushed to Kasese district to investigate the killings and search for solutions to the conflict. The situation remains tense and the army and police have been deployed widely. There is also fear of revenge attacks. Members of Parliament (MP) from the region condemned the attack on the palace and the killing of royal guards. They are demanding the reconstruction of Buhikira Palace and the Rwenzururu Kingdom administration offices. They are also demanding for a post mortem report to establish the exact cause of death of the victims and security guarantees for all MPs from the region. 1 USAID SAFE mobile coordinator- Rwenzori sub region 2 http://theugandan.com.ug/names-soldiers-killed-kasese-clashes-revealed/ 3 USAID SAFE Conflict Monitor-Kasese District 4 New Vision 1st December 2016 1 Two weeks before the attack on the palace a UPDF soldier was killed by a militia group that was armed with matchetes, spears and knives and believed to have connections with the royal guards.5 After the killing, police and army carried out an operation in the area where they shot dead four suspects believed to have taken part in the killing. A week later, two police officers were hacked to death and had their guns taken by unknown assailants in one of the tourism hotels in Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Kasese district. It is not clear if the attacks are related. Security officials in the region however accused a youth group connected to King Mumbere of being behind the attacks and allegedly that they had intentions of attacking security installations and officers conducting patrols in the area. In Bundibugyo district, the district chairperson Ronald Mutegeki had asked GOU to investigate the endless recruitment of royal guards among cultural institutions in the Rwenzori sub region saying they had become a security threat.6 The situation in the Rwenzori region could lead to further large scale violence. In the last three years, more than three hundred (300) people have been killed, military installations attacked, houses, property and domestic livestock destroyed and many people injured. Some communities have fled their homes for the mountains fearing attacks and revenge attacks. In other areas, some schools have been closed, and security agencies have been deployed widely in the region. The Rwenzori conflict is multidimensional and deep- rooted dating back more than fifty (50) years. It has a cultural, ethnic, tribal, political socio- economic dimension and perceived marginalization. There is also a desire for self- determination. Therefore there is an urgent need to manage the tensions in the area before they escalate further. The SAFE program’s conflict monitors based in Kasese, Kabarole, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko Districts will continue monitoring the situation on the ground. Other conflict incidents reported this month to SAFE’s conflict monitoring database were from Kabarole, Kitgum, Kotido, Kyegegwa, Masindi, Zombo, Gulu, Budaka, Butaleja, Kampala and Mayuge. 5 http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1439459/updf-solider-killed-bar 6 USAID SAFE Conflict Monitor-Bundibugyo District 2 Below: Number of Reported Conflict Incidents, November 2016 Source: SAFE Conflict Monitoring Database: November 2016 REGIONAL OVERVIEW Northern Region Tension is growing in Gulu district following a decision by the District Local council (LC5) chairman Martin Ojara to issue a two day ultimatum to pastoralists commonly known as “Balaalo” to vacate Palaro Sub County or risk having their livestock confiscated.7 This follows a public outcry that the livestock had destroyed acres of farmlands which is the main source of livelihood for the locals. In the neighbouring Kitgum District, members of the Kopii clan in Orom Sub County evicted a group of pastoralists who had over 200 herd of cattle after they destroyed people’s food crops. The pastoralists had also stopped the locals from accessing a dam claiming they had legally hired the land where the dam is 7 USAID SAFE Conflict Monitor- Gulu District 3 located. The pastoralists mainly from Hoima, Nakaseke and Kyankwazi districts moved to the vast Acholi area in search for pasture and water for their animals. Western Region In Masindi district, residents living along the banks of River Kafu are up in arms with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) following the continuous attack on them, killing of their children and destruction of their food crops by crocodiles. Residents accuse UWA whose mandate is to conserve wildlife of neglecting its duties.8 In response, UWA says they lack staff to control the reptiles. Residents have now resorted to poisoning and killing the reptiles. This is not the first time that communities are up in arms with UWA over wildlife animals. In previous monthly conflict assessment reports, the SAFE program has repeatedly reported on human-wildlife conflicts in the country especially in areas surrounding both Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park. The SAFE Program is aware that as human populations expand and natural habitats shrink, people and animals are increasingly coming into conflict over living space and food. The animals, many of which are already threatened or endangered, are often killed in retaliation. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) which manages the parks has requested for calm and is doing everything possible to ensure that the animals are driven back to the park and water bodies. Government of Uganda (GOU) and UWA should speed up the process of erecting an electric fence along the park boundaries so as to stop wild animals from crossing into people’s gardens while ensuring that both humans and animals have the space they need, creating buffer zones and investing in alternative land uses. The SAFE program’s conflict monitors in the respective districts will continue to monitor the situation on the ground and report any conflict incidents to SAFE’s conflict monitoring database. 8 USAID SAFE Conflict Monitor-Masindi District 4 Central Region The killing of another Muslim cleric in the capital city Kampala this month led to tensions in the country. Sheikh Major Muhammad Kigundu was brutally killed together with his body guard by unknown gunmen who later took off on a motorcycle, the same method used to kill fourteen other muslim clerics in the last five years. Sheikh Kigundu had been informing family and friends that there were people threatening his life. He has been a key figure in the muslim community and an active participant in the protracted leadership wrangles within the community. Prior to that he had allegedly been engaged in subversive activities and had links to the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and later fled the country. He returned a few years ago after GOU granted him amnesty and integrated him into the army. The SAFE program has reported extensively on the murder and attempted murders of Muslim clerics in different parts of the country. More than fourteen (14) clerics have been killed in the last three (3) years and this has continued to cause increased tension and suspicion among the Muslim community and the country at large. There have also been various attempts to kill and threaten various Muslim clerics. The nature of the attacks has made it difficult for security agencies to prevent or guard against such killings. The GOU and security agencies should increase vigilance and increase security presence and foot patrols as deterrence. The GOU should continue apprehending other perpetrators and bring them to justice so that Ugandans, and especially the Muslim community, can feel secure in the country. With no information as to their identity or motive, the killers have injected fear among Ugandans and increased tension. Currently fourteen (14) suspects have been arrested and are before court accused of being behind the killing of Muslim clerics.9 Eastern Region Tension is growing in districts of Butaleja and Budaka region following a long standing boundary conflict that erupted into violence this month.