MPs sue government for negligence over Karamojong

Four Ugandan MPs have begun proceedings to sue the government for failing to protect people in the Teso subregion, eastern Uganda, from Karamojong cattle-raids, the independent 'Monitor' newspaper reported on Wednesday. The MPs, together with 3,571 Iteso people, are claiming Uganda shilling (Ush) 120 billion (US $68 million) in damages resulting from attacks by armed Karamojong pastoralists, which, they say, the government should have prevented.

The legal action follows a high-profile raid on 13 September by a group of some 200 Karamojong "warriors" on a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Ngarium, Katakwi District, in which 15 people were killed and over 500 head of cattle stolen. A state of emergency has been declared by the council of Katakwi District, where over 80,000 people are forced to remain in IDP camps as a result of the attacks.

"The plaintiffs have been raided, their cattle rustled, their properties destroyed, lives of loved ones lost, children and women defiled and raped," the newspaper cited the text of the lawsuit as saying. The suit claimed the "servants of government" were negligent in arming Karamojong vigilantes, and allowing them to bear arms "without any control, supervision or measures to keep arms in armouries and account for ammunition".

MPs in September criticised the government for failing to effectively disarm the Karamojong when a 12-month deadline for disarmament set by parliament passed without weapons being handed in. The Ugandan army has said it will need Ush 5 billion (US $2.8 million) to completely disarm the pastoralist raiders. The government initially gave weapons to small groups of "home guards" within the Karamoja subregion to enable the population to defend itself against raids from other pastoralist groups in the region, notably the Pokot from Kenya.