UPDF Soldiers Admit to Killing Over 40 Cows in Amudat District

Updf  Soldiers from the 51st Infantry, Battalion 407 of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) have acknowledged shooting and killing over 40 cows, while injuring 50 others in Amudat district, northern Uganda. The incident occurred at the border area of Naporokoch parish in Amudat district and Korite in Kween district, where young shepherds had driven the cows for water, despite a ban on Pokot pastoralists grazing in the Kween side.

Amudat district chairman Joseph Lobot explained that UPDF soldiers encountered the cows during patrol, leading to the shooting. The UPDF confirmed the incident but claimed the cows were killed in an exchange of fire with Pokot armed warriors. Maj Moses Amuya, the acting UPDF 3rd division spokesperson, stated that during the exchange, the warriors used the herd as a shield.

Lobot disputed this version, stating that if true, the warriors would have also sustained injuries. He urged security forces to promote peace and avoid taking sides, emphasizing the need to unite conflicted communities. This incident follows a similar one in September, where a UPDF officer was arrested for a shooting spree that killed over 40 cows in Nakapiripirit district.