By Marko Taibot
Adjumani | Environmental activist Willam Amanzuru who is also the team leader of friends of Zoka has warned police in Adjumani to desist from threatening and intimidating youth and members of the community who have voluntarily started impounding illegal charcoal and timber dealers in the district.
In a press statement issued on June 3, 2024, Amanzuru stated that the community in Adjumani district has taken to openly expressing their dissatisfaction with the ongoing illegal logging, timber cutting, and human encroachment that is disrupting all industrial charcoal production in Adjumani district and surrounding areas, but the youth have been threatened and intimidated by police and other security agencies.
Amanzuru noted that communities throughout the district, particularly the youth, are peacefully impounding and handing over charcoal, timber, and log trucks to local authorities in Adjumani.
“Surprisingly, the leaders have not shown support and collaboration towards this community’s actions aimed at reinforcing the law. They cited vices are causing untold damage on the natural vegetation cover and wasting away the now endangered Zoka Central Forest Reserve and East Ma’di Wildlife Reserve,” Amanzuru said in his press statement.
“More unfortunate, the community mainly the Youth are being targeted for their resolve to root out the illicit trade that harms their environment and livelihoods, they are being arrested and detained arbitrarily at Adjumani Central Police Station and other illegal detention centers for playing their part in enforcing among others the Executive Order No.3 issued by President Yoweri Museveni,” he added.
“I call upon the Police and other security leadership to audit the conduct of Police in Adjumani district, if people are not allowed to express themselves peacefully and work with the Police, then what options are there,” he warned.
Early this year, the youth impounded trucks carrying charcoal and handed it over to the authorities.
Last week, three youth leaders were arrested and detained by police for impounding trucks transporting charcoal. Vincent Vukoni Pablo, the district youth chairperson, was arrested last week, as was George Ijjo Baguma, a youth vigilante, and Adjumani’s district youth chairperson, Roger Bala Bongomin.
Vincent Vukoni Pablo, who was arrested on May 29, 2024 and later released on May 30, stated that he was beaten and tortured by police without recording a statement or explaining the reason for his arrest.
“They told me to call for my wife to come and take some of my belongings, when my wife reached the police front desk she was knocked by a gun, yet I came to stop the youth who were becoming rowdy, right now my life is in danger in hands of police and the charcoal dealers,” Pablo said.
The Resident District Commissioner, who spoke to journalists last week, explained that landlords influence the illegal charcoal business by allowing charcoal dealers to burn charcoal in the name of opening up land for farming.
He also noted that fighting illegal charcoal business requires a collective approach including the community.
Background.
Last year on May 18, president Yoweri Museni issued an executive order to stop any trade in charcoal including transportation, and directed the security operatives to enforce the directive.
In Adjumani after the presidential executive order, more than 10 trucks of charcoal leave the district every day.
