Archival Sense
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
- 536
- 250
A boundary demarcation exercise in Ludara Sub-county, Koboko District, turned violent on Tuesday after Ministry of Water and Environment officials and district leaders clashed over the boundaries of Mt Kei Central Forest Reserve.
Video footage from the incident shows West Nile Regional Range Manager Milton Nyeko and Operations Commander Major Joseph Omoji in a physical confrontation with Koboko LCV Chairperson Mambo Ashiraf and Works Secretary Abubakar Ali.
The confrontation followed the installation of a signpost by Koboko district leaders, accompanied by local residents, at River Araga in Chakulia Parish, along the Koboko-Yumbe border.
Koboko leaders accuse Yumbe District of using the location as an entry point to collect revenue from the Koboko side.
Ministry range officials later removed the signpost, triggering the confrontation captured on video.
In the footage, Major Omoji is heard saying he had 700 rounds of ammunition to deal with the situation before opening the shaft of his firearm.
The confrontation came only hours after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting on the Mt Kei Central Forest Reserve ended prematurely.
The meeting, chaired by area MP Musa Noah, brought together Ministry officials, local leaders, security personnel and communities affected by ongoing eviction operations.
Participants raised concerns that the eviction exercise was being hampered by unclear forest boundaries, alleged misconduct by enforcement officers and claims of double standards in the enforcement of forest protection measures.
Koboko local leaders and security officials called for the eviction operations to be suspended for two weeks to allow the authorities to clarify the forest boundaries.
They also want area MPs to use the period to seek a clear government position on the fate of more than 8,000 people living in five villages in Ludara Sub-county who are affected by the forest reserve dispute.
The latest confrontation has heightened tensions in an already sensitive dispute, with local leaders warning that continued enforcement without clear boundaries could further inflame relations between authorities and affected communities.
Video footage from the incident shows West Nile Regional Range Manager Milton Nyeko and Operations Commander Major Joseph Omoji in a physical confrontation with Koboko LCV Chairperson Mambo Ashiraf and Works Secretary Abubakar Ali.
The confrontation followed the installation of a signpost by Koboko district leaders, accompanied by local residents, at River Araga in Chakulia Parish, along the Koboko-Yumbe border.
Koboko leaders accuse Yumbe District of using the location as an entry point to collect revenue from the Koboko side.
Ministry range officials later removed the signpost, triggering the confrontation captured on video.
In the footage, Major Omoji is heard saying he had 700 rounds of ammunition to deal with the situation before opening the shaft of his firearm.
The confrontation came only hours after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting on the Mt Kei Central Forest Reserve ended prematurely.
The meeting, chaired by area MP Musa Noah, brought together Ministry officials, local leaders, security personnel and communities affected by ongoing eviction operations.
Participants raised concerns that the eviction exercise was being hampered by unclear forest boundaries, alleged misconduct by enforcement officers and claims of double standards in the enforcement of forest protection measures.
Koboko local leaders and security officials called for the eviction operations to be suspended for two weeks to allow the authorities to clarify the forest boundaries.
They also want area MPs to use the period to seek a clear government position on the fate of more than 8,000 people living in five villages in Ludara Sub-county who are affected by the forest reserve dispute.
The latest confrontation has heightened tensions in an already sensitive dispute, with local leaders warning that continued enforcement without clear boundaries could further inflame relations between authorities and affected communities.
