President Museveni has appointed Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah to chair the Apaa land conflict resolution committee that will be investigating the Apaa boundary dispute in the Amuru-Adjumani districts.
Oulanyah replaces Prime Minister, Ruhakana Rugunda who has been heading the committee since its establishment in August 2018.
In a meeting held between the President, Oulanyah and the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda at State House, the President resolved to form a new committee chaired by Oulanyah that would look at the issue of the conflict.
This was after Oulanyah reportedly emphasized the need for a common position on the Apaa boundary dispute.
The formation of the new committee comes after a Government directive requiring the eviction of over 300 affected residents of the disputed Apaa boundary.
According to Oulanyah, when the President was in Omoro on Saturday, he requested for audience with the President over the Apaa issue.
Oulanyah said they had a very fruitful deliberation, and the President announced a new committee on Apaa.
“The committee will revisit and seek all the possible lasting solutions to make certain that our people have peace and the support they need to develop and move on from this long-standing strife,” Oulanyah said.
On Monday Museveni summoned the Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Land Minister and others to State House.
The meeting resolved to restructure the committee and Rugunda is instead going to be deputy of Oulanyah.
Ministers from Madi and Acholi including Deputy Premier Moses Ali and Disaster Minister Hilary Onek have been made members. Minister of Land, Betty Amongi and Ephriam Kamuntu the Minister for Wildlife, Tourism and Antiquities and Sam Cheptoris the Minister for Water and Environment are also members.
The Apaa boundary dispute started in 2012 when Adjumani district council gazetted the area as East Madi Game Reserve, a move which was opposed by authorities in Amuru district, which equally claimed rights over the same land.
In 2015, the government forcefully planted mark stones in Apaa Village to demarcate boundaries amidst protests from Amuru residents. More than 21 people were injured when police used live bullets to disperse those opposed to the demarcation exercise.
In 2017, Minister Tom Butime declared that indeed Apaa was part of Adjumani. But the government maintained talks between the two sides, which however failed to agree on a common position during meetings held in Gulu in the course of last year.
