Local leaders in the Karenga district are on tenterhooks after anonymous letters threatening their lives have been found pinned in strategic areas. Karenga district is located in the insecurity-infested sub-region of Karamoja and it is suspected that the Karimojong warriors who have been exchanging fire with security agencies are the ones staking their leaders’ heads.
The anonymous letters that have put leaders in fear for their lives were found pinned on a tree at Itongopet village, Karenga town council. The threatening letters have pinned days after Simon Peter Omony the district’s assistant principal secretary was found murdered a few meters from his house.
Omony’s murder happened at Napeikori village, Karenga town council and the incident is under police probe, according to Mt Moroto police spokesperson, IP Mike Longole. Police have explained that a General Enquiry File (GEF) has been opened as the hunt for the thugs dropping threatening letters intensifies.
“As joint security forces, we are not taking the information written on this leaflet lightly, we have opened a GEF on the matter pending the arrest of the suspects. However, we have also observed that the leaflet was torn several times implying that it was tempered by community members which make the forensic analysis of the document hard,” IP Longole said.
For the last two years, Karamoja has been experiencing heavy gunfire between Uganda People’s Defence Forces -UPDF backed up by the police Anti-Stock Theft Unit -ASTU versus the warriors who have made the area a threat to human life.
By end of last week, UPDF and ASTU had successfully killed over 520 warriors and recovered guns of the same number. However, cattle raids and the killing of civilians by rustlers have not stopped despite the security operations.
“We would have as well subjected the scene to canine tracking, but it was also tempered by the first respondents and other community members who were reading the hanged document. We are doing all that is supposed to be done in order to bring these suspects to book,” IP Longole said.
Security has urged community members who may be having relevant information pertaining to the matter to report to our intelligence teams for appropriate action to be taken. Natives have also been reminded to remain vigilant at all times to ensure safety.
