Elections : violence à Amuru – août 2010

Amuru joint campaigns suspended over riots Wednesday

newvision.co.ug

25th August, 2010

The joint campaigns for the NRM primary election to get the party flag-bearers for Amuru district have been temporarily suspended due to violence. The move follows the demolition of a house being constructed by the Government for the cultural chief of Pagak, Justin Ociti Binyi II, at Dog Kulu Olik village in Amuru sub-county.

Rowdy supporters also set seven grass-thatched huts on fire and assaulted Martine Okwera, the younger brother of Ociti Binyi. The Police arrested four of the suspects. These are Patrick Opobo Tokolo, Otto, Okello and Kiteng.

The chief’s wife, Elizabeth Allimadi Ociti, is among the four NRM candidates campaigning for the post of the district Woman MP. Others are Jane Okili, Concy Nyapolo and Betty Bigombe, the former minister for northern Uganda. The elections are slated for Monday.

Allimadi said Bigombe’s supporters have been intimidating her group since the beginning of the campaigns, but they did not take the threats seriously until Monday, when their house was demolished.

However, Bigombe said she was not aware of the violence. The district NRM chairperson, Juma Richard Lanek, said the campaigns had been suspended for two days to give time for the conflicting parties to settle their differences.

He added that the campaigns would resume today. The northern Police spokesperson, Johnson Kilama, said the suspects would be charged in court to teach them and others to respect the chiefdom.

The Government, under the Peace recovery and Development Plan, is building houses for all the 54 Acholi chiefs and Pagak is one of the beneficiaries.

Informations

Amuru is a town in northern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial centre of Amuru District. The district is named after the town.