Buyende fishermen cry out to Gen Tumukunde over UPDF harassment

Buyende fishermen cry out to Gen Tumukunde over UPDF harassment.Whisper Eye News

Voters in Buyende district have appealed to Independent Presidential Candidate Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde to save them from the wrath of the Fisheries Protection Unit FPU.

Gen. Tumukunde was speaking to residents of Buyende district on Thursday while on is campaign tour on Thursday. He addressed a campaign meeting at Irundu town in Budiope East constituency.

The Residents appealed to the former security minister over the deployment of the fisheries protection unit by the President to combat illegal fishing on the lakes.

The UPDF was deployed in 2017 as part of a presidential directive to combat illegal fishing practices and protect the fish resource that was under the threat of depletion.

The unit has been at the center of complaints and accusations of brutality and corruption in the execution of its duties among the fishing communities around the lakes.

Ivan Yeko one of the residents says the soldiers of the FPU have killed some fishermen who have been confronted by the soldiers on the lakes, other fishermen say they have been beaten by the soldiers and their boats banned on the lakes, they say they are now idle.

Gen. Tumukunde lashed out at President Yoweri Museveni accusing him of turning the nation into a heavily militarized state.

He told the residents that they have the power as Basoga to determine the outcome of the vote owing to their considerable population of over 2 million voters in Busoga sub-region.

He assured them of relief from the soldiers of the UPDF once he becomes president, he castigated President Museveni for unnecessarily deploying soldiers everywhere including during the campaigns and elections leading to violent confrontations.

On Friday, Gen. Tumukunde will campaign in Bugweri, Namutumba Kaliro and lganga districts.

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