In a bid to maintain law and order, the security forces managed to recover three firearms, including gun number 50292 with 5 rounds, SMG rifle registration number 11253 with 5 rounds, and gun number 38110 with zero rounds, from the South Karamoja region.

According to IP Longole Mike the acting Mt Moroto Regional Police Spokesperson, the recovered firearms were forcefully retrieved from unidentified warriors following a cordon and search operation in Nakabat village, Rupa Sub-county, Moroto District.

He added that an SMG rifle with registration number 11253 and 5 rounds was forcefully recovered from Tingaz village in Alakas, Amudat District.

However, according to IP Longole Mike, despite the ongoing sensitization about the presidential initiative on voluntary firearm surrender without prosecution, the success has been uneven across various districts.

He further revealed that North Karamoja, including Kotido, Kaabong, Karenga, and Abim, has witnessed positive outcomes with Karamojong youth (Karacunas) voluntarily surrendering arms.

Longole retaliated stating that the same cannot be said for the southern districts including Moroto, Napak, Amudat, and Nakapiripirit which have continued to face challenges in embracing the presidential amnesty, leading to isolated incidents such as cattle thefts, notably between Pokot (Amudat) and Pian (Nabilatuk, Nakapiripirit) among others.

“One incident involved the theft of 94 goats and sheep from Namoni Aloris village in Kosike Sub-county, Nabilatuk District, on the night of August 29, 2023. Joint security forces, however, managed to recover all the stolen livestock,” he said.

Longole said that such incidents moved the security forces to conduct an organized operation to retrieve arms from armed criminals in the Alakas (Amudat) and Nakabaat (Moroto) areas.

IP Longole appealed to the Karacunas in the southern region to embrace the presidential amnesty fully by voluntarily surrendering firearms to the government without fear of prosecution.