Security Forces Arrest Lubigi Holdouts

Running battles erupted in Lubigi Wetland on Wednesday as security forces moved to evict holdout squatters who had defied earlier eviction orders and continued camping in the area two weeks after their homes were demolished.

 

Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) soldiers and anti-riot police sealed off the wetland and engaged in confrontations with residents who resisted the operation. More than 10 people were arrested as security personnel torched the remaining makeshift tents and cleared the area. 

 

Several squatters fled with whatever belongings they could salvage, while others were rounded up during the operation.

Journalists were blocked from accessing the site and could only observe from a distance while interviewing displaced residents who had fled the wetland. 

Residents accused security personnel of using excessive force during the operation. 

Rest Nanyange described the operation as a criminal act against residents.She claimed that police confiscated food and utensils that had been donated by well-wishers and said she was partially undressed while fleeing from officers with her children. 

 

Nanyange said she has nowhere to relocate despite having spent millions of shillings to acquire the property.

Other affected residents, including Florence Natukunda, said not all victims received the Shs1 million relief package that Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja distributed following the demolitions. 

The latest operation targeted residents who had remained in the wetland after the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) demolished more than 150 houses and business structures during a crackdown launched on May 28. 

 

Affected residents have consistently disputed NEMA’s claims that their homes were located within the wetland, accusing the agency of intending to hand over the land to an investor.