By witnessradio.org Team
Kiryandongo – Uganda – as violence meted against victims of land grab Kiryandongo district is escalating again, three armed soldiers guarding Kiryandongo Sugar Limited’s sugarcane plantation have this morning stormed a land rights defender’s home and picked Atyaluk David Richard to an unknown destination.
According to the eyewitness, Atyaluk was assaulted before he was whisked away to an unknown place.
This is the second case of violence since 2021 begun after another resident Batumbya Charles narrowly survived being killed by two unidentified and armed men who attacked him from his home. Batumbya Charles, 61, a breadwinner of 15 children, is a resident of Kikungulu village, Kitwala parish in Kiryandongo district.
Many project-affected families that forcefully and violently lost their land to three multinational companies namely, Kiryandongo Sugar Limited; Great Seasons SMC Limited, and Agilis Partners Limited are currently trapped in the middle of plantations and being hit hard with the effects of land scale agribusiness investments.
The cause of Atyaluk’s disappearance is linked to a fire that destroyed acres of sugarcane plantation owned by Kiryandongo Sugar Limited. The available information indicates that the fire whose source is still unknown gutted the sugarcane plantation on Thursday, the 11th, 2021 from 2:00 PM local time until late in the night.
One of the Atyaluk’s family members revealed that he (Atyaluk) was picked from his home at 8:00 am local time by armed soldiers who never explained why and where he was being taken.
“We saw three armed soldiers coming to our home. As soon as they got into our compound, they announced that we’re taking him. We asked them who, they replied that Atyaluk. When he (Atyaluk) came out of the house, he was first ordered to sit down, a few minutes, later, Atyaluk was ordered to get up and walk. They walked with him up to Ndoi village, where he was ordered to enter a car labeled with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) banners, car registration No. UAW 796Z” Said Olupoti James, a brother to Atyaluk.
He further revealed that when they followed the car, it was seen entering inside a military detachment at Kamusenene.
According to residents, the military detach houses soldiers guarding the sugarcane plantation.
Witness Radio – Uganda condemns in the strongest terms disappearance of Mr. Atyaluk David Richard, which is part of organized violence from multinationals to disempower project-affected communities that have already forcefully lost their land to profit makers.
“Working with other stakeholders, we’ll ensure that justice for Atyaluk prevails” Said, Joan Bulyerali, Legal Officer, Witness Radio – Uganda.
