Africa-Press – Uganda. Fishermen operating on Lake Albert in Hoima District have been left jobless following the seizure of their fishing gear by militia from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The equipment, including 14 boat engines, was taken last month from Kaiso Landing Site in Hoima District at gun point.Fishermen have since then failed to recover the equipment.
The chairperson of the fishing community at the landing site, Mr Robert Mujuni, said the armed men were dressed in fatigues that looked like DRC military uniform and retreated to the neighbouring country after confiscating the gear.
“The men were asking for ransom to give us back our fishing gear and the fishermen had no money to pay. They were demanding Shs1.85 million to release each boat engine and when we failed to pay, they took them away,” Mr Mujuni said at the weekend.
The armed men took three fishing boats, 10 sets of fishing nets and 10 mobile phones belonging to the fishermen. Only three fishing boats were handed back to the fishermen after paying the ransom.
Mr Henry Lameck, one of the affected fishermen, said he has no alternative source of livelihood for his family since all his fishing gear was taken.
“Our government should intervene by engaging the DR Congo government authorities to address the rampant attacks on Ugandan fishermen on the lake and have our fishing gears returned,” he said.
Ms Rose Atuhura, a resident of Kaiso Landing Site, said for long, the local leaders and security operatives have been promising fishermen that they will engage the Congolese authorities in vain.
The Albertine regional police spokesperson, Mr Julius Hakiza, said security is profiling all the attacks on the fishermen at the lake and they will later come out with appropriate measures to completely eliminate the attacks.
The Hoima District chairperson, Mr Kadiri Kirungi, said the issue of attacks on fishermen was reported to President Museveni who in turn called for a stakeholder meeting that took place in Hoima on March 16.He, however, did not reveal the resolutions of the meeting.
Recent attacks
In March 2021, suspected gunmen from DR Congo attacked fishermen on Lake Albert in Hoima and abducted 16 fishermen.
In October 2020, suspected armed Congolese militiamen raided Lake Albert where they abducted 16 fishermen, robbed 20 boat engines and 20 fishing boats. The incident happened near Kaiso and Kijangi landing sites in Buseruka Sub-county, Hoima District. In April 2020, two suspected Congolese militiamen were gunned down on Lake Albert in Hoima in a fire exchange with UPDF soldiers.
