Museveni orders Balaalo out of greater north

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ordered the Balaalo (nomadic pastorists) with non-fenced farmland in the Greater North to vacate the region within three weeks.

***FILE PHOTO: Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview***

The Greater North sub-regions, which are being occupied by the Balaalo, include Lango, Acholi, and West Nile, according to a release from State House.
President Museveni issued the order Friday while meeting communities of Okidi, Atiak sub-county in Amuru district.
His visit is aimed at addressing the growing crisis of the settlement of Balaalo in the region.
The President also ordered that the Balaalo who are occupying government land like in Lakang and Aswa ranch to vacate, adding that when he passed an Executive Order banning the Balaalo (nomadic pastorists) from Acholi, he started to hear different voices from people.

He also revealed that the disagreement between the Balaalo and the people of Greater North mainly stems from the issue of destruction of crops and ownership of land in the area.
He has however, urged the people of Acholi to be careful while dealing with the Balaalo issue because it is sensitive and can cause problems.

The President also blamed MPs and other leaders for the failure to push forward his program of commercializing agriculture, saying this would have solved the problem of underutilizing land.
Before his speech, the people of Acholi had reported to the President that some Balaalo illegally took over their land and cited some cases of mistreatment.

During the meeting, Kilak North Member of Parliament, Anthony Akol told the President that Executive Order No. 3, which he passed clearly addresses the issues affecting the people of Acholi as far as the Balaalo are concerned.

The Amuru District LC5 Chairperson, Michael Lakony said the matter should be dealt with the utmost attention it deserves.
He said the area is one of those that was greatly affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and it is now on course of development.
Leaders at the meeting included the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, the Minister of State for Northern Uganda, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, Members of Parliament, and cultural leaders, among others.