Karamojong pastoralists on Wednesday launched a violent raid on neighbouring Katakwi District, the Ugandan government-owned ‘New Vision’ reported on Friday. The Karamojong attacked the village of Opeta in Magoro county just two days after the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) withdrew from the area, the report said. Four people were killed, including three of the Karamojong raiders, and one member of the paramilitary Local Defence Unit. The head of the UPDF’s 405 Brigade in Katakwi, Lt-Col Sam Kavuma was quoted as saying that the army’s withdrawal from the area was “routine”. Karamojong ‘warriors’ were reported to be gathering at the border with Katakwi District in preparation for another raid, causing people in the area to “panic,” the ‘New Vision’ reported. Katakwi MPs have written to the Office of the Prime Minister expressing concern over Karamojong raids in the District.
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