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Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The five suspected Congolese militiamen who were arrested on Lake Albert for terrorizing Ugandan fishermen in Hoima district will be quarantined for 14-days.
The five identified as Balaka Jarenga, Makuru Onjoka, Claude Nguma, Kakuru Kwamire and Kapaseka Otika, were arrested during heavy gunfire between the militiamen and soldiers of the Uganda peoples Defence Forces-UPDF on Lake Albert on Thursday. Two of their colleagues lost their lives in the exchange.
The group had raided the lake and crossed near Kaiso landing site where they started robbing Ugandans on the lake of their fishing gear including boats, fishing nets, hooks and boat engines at gunpoint. Some of the fishermen alerted UPDF in a call for rescue.
However, before the UPDF could reach them, the militia opened fire leading to a heavy exchange between them and the UPDF and in the process, two of the militiamen were put out of action. UPDF also recovered three AK 47 guns with 47 rounds of ammunition that the militia was using.
The five arrested militiamen are all currently being detained at Hoima Central Police Station while the two bodies of those killed are lying at Hoima Mortuary. During the heavy fire exchange, no UPDF soldier was shot or injured.
Samuel Kisembo, the Hoima Resident District Commissioner-RDC told Uganda Radio Network on Saturday morning that all the militiamen will be quarantined for 14-days to ascertain their status over coronavirus adding that they can not risk mixing the militiamen with other suspects.
Kisembo says blood samples will be taken from the suspected militiamen and sent to Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe to ascertain whether they have coronavirus or not.
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