Description

In Tororo district, tension continues to rise over the proposed splitting of the district and creation of a municipality based on tribal and ethnic lines. Members of the Jopadhola community in Tororo say they will not accept a new district to be carved out of Tororo district as demanded by their neighbours-the Iteso. They believe that a split in the district will not resolve, but simply reproduce the same problems that carving up the district is supposed to resolve. The demand to split the district has several social, demographic and political dimensions. There is fear that this will create endless enmity between the Japadhola and the Iteso that have peacefully lived together for centuries. President Yoweri Museveni directed that the matter be resolved using the “colonial boundaries” in order to determine where the municipality should be located in the event of a split of the district. Tension between different ethnic communities in Tororo District has in recent years tended to escalate particularly in matters related to boundaries as reported in previous USAID SAFE conflict assessment report. USAID SAFE’s Tororo-based conflict monitors will continue to monitor the situation on the ground