Museveni speaks out on Bunyoro's Bagungu vs Balaalo Crisis

Finally President Museveni has spoken out on the Bagungu - Balaalo Crisis that has been and still is a big thorn in Uganda of today http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/576929   In my earlier articles on the UGPulse Emboozi forum I have been following the media reports on the Mobile Pastoral Balaalo vs Agricultural Bagungu of Bunyoro www.bunyoro-kitara.com  in their land conflicts that have lead to bloodsheds in the last several weeks. It was the Balaalo being sent away from Acholi and Lango and the East and the Queen Elizabeth national park in Kasese District. and now from Buliiisa District.

Then it came to my notice that perhaps the main reason for this Bagungu vs Balaalo conflict could be the oil land of the area along Lake Albert in Bunyoro. But who are these Balalo that have come into Bullisa of Bunyoro: http://ugpulse.com/ugandan-community/forums/5965/ShowThread.aspx#5965  the Bagungu stay near Lake Albert, are Banyoro but have strong connections with Banyoro Bagungu of DRCongo and the pipos of  the tribes of northern Uganda.  Some of the Bagungu are fishermen, others are agriculturalsits engaged in food production and in the now cotton growing venture that the NRM has brought to Bunyoro and Northern Uganda, and others are pastoralists with many cows or cattle, actually having more cows than in any part of Bunyoro but they are not the Mobile Pastoralist, they are settled along Lake Albert. The Bagungu are saying that its their ancestral land that has been with them since centuries old even before the birth of Omukama Kabaleega of Bunyoro Kitara and they have been using it for agriculture and now they are using it for food prouction and for income generating project of cotton growing that is being planned for : they have plans to invest in the rapidly campained for Cotton farming that has produced some good economic recovery in Masindi and Buliisa Districts and also in the neighbouring Northern Uganda Districts of the Alur, Lugbar, Acholi and Langi people.. Its  in the midst of this  cash crop agriculture exercise and planning that the Pastoral Mobile Balaalo have come and some have guns it is said - and are claiming to have land titles - given by who? as they claim that they bought the land from the Bagungu for pasturing their animal. The Bagungu also have many cattles compared with the rest of Bunyoro and some are farmers and others are fishermen operating on lake Albert all the way from Ntoroko to Wanseko and Panyamur. Its the conflict brought about because the land is not enough, but also the Bagungu are not giving an inch to the superiority of the armed Balaalo who seem to have a backing of some Big Shots political, economical and perhaps military from Kampala. There is fear and a likelyhood that its these Big Shots encouraging the Balaalo not to leave for Kiboga and at the same time influencing Buganda Elders not to accept the Balaalo in Buganda. But the Banyoro Big shots in Bunyoro Kingdom and in Kampala are also telling their Banyoro of Bugungu to put a stiff resistance similar to the one of their ancestral leader Omukama Kabaleega  and not to give away land to the NeoColonisers the Balaalo ---- I guess its all for the OIL underneath the DISPUTED LAND - and rightly so as I had said in my earlier articles  http://ugpulse.com/ugandan-community/forums/5866/ShowThread.aspx#5866

 And now there is talk of the some Balaalo running away from Buliisa District and have fled to Kibaale District of Bunyoro...  http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/18/577126 ,   http://ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?ID=3711  One wonder if  their fleeing to Kibaale District will help Land Matters in Bunyoro at all, because in the last 2 years Kibaale District has seen the worst tribal clashes between Banyoro (Bataka =natives) and the new migrant settlers (Bafuruki=migrants) the Bakiga from Southern Uganda in Kigezi or Kabaale who have come in big numbers and it is said have produced more children and are accused of taking over the land, the agriculture and the food production and the economy and eventually the education and political leadership that once belonged to the native Banyoro in Kibaale District. In Buyaga County of Kibaale District there has been a row as to who should be in political leadership - should it be the Banyoro or the new migrant Bakiga that have settled in Bunyoro in the last thirty years. The Bakiga are saying that after 30-35 years stay in southern Bunyoro or the now Kaibaale District they are not new but are citizens of the kigndom and are Bakiga Banyoro and so have a right to be in political leadership of Kibaale and fight for the good of development of Bunyoro for all tribes as is the case with Buyaga MP - Barnabas Tinka    http://www.sundayvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=7&newsCategoryId=416&newsId=577198

Its Bunyoro and the Banyoro trying to safeguard their tribal and cultural identity and land is one of those identities. the key question here is that : as Omukama Kabalega fought against the British Colonial masters and was later on captured and taken to exile 1899 -1923 and years that followed, Bunyoro Kingdom was left undeveloped and with little population and NO LAND TITLES...... so how can the Bakiga in Kibaale District and the Balaalo in Buliisa District come of late and some of these late comers be able to say or claim that they have Land Titles for the land they have recently acquired --- from whom are those titles when the natives of the land dont have the land titles .Who is ferrying these big numbers of (Bafuruki=migrants)  the Banyankole Bakiga to Kibaale District and encouraging the movement of Mobile Pastoral Balaalo to Buliisa District and thereby enabling both migrant groups to acquire land and get LAND TITLES whereas the native Banyoro (Bataka=natives or children of the SOIL) are squarters on their land of their ancestors for years without land titles??? what is their master plan??  And so the Bagungu are now threatening to return NRM membership card over the Balaalo land wrangles and are saying that the NRM to which they gave much voting support has neglected them as if in favour of the Balaalo who seem to have a base in southern part of Uganda the stronghold of NRM http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/reg07201.php .  I hope President Museveni  and the Uganda government will make a serious study of the case and come out with a lasting solution to the land crisis in Bunyoro and elswhere in Uganda. To the BAGUNGU - I say in RUGUNGU LANGUAGE - Bala we : Imwe bantu ba Kwitaka na Munsahu, abaduli bahandu nabakali, mwebale enkurakurana, mukole namaani kuleetaho businge dwee dwee  mu  Distrist ya Buliisa, e do !

 President Museveni's Speech:            http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news07206.php   

 Oh yes its now clear: The Disputed Buliisa Land is SITTING ON VAST OUIL DEPOSITS

http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/news07162.php 

Bagungu to return NRM cards over Balaalo wrangle

http://www.monitor.co.ug/news/reg07201.php

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SEE also on  MY BLOG -----" Will the Discovery of Oil help Bunyoro develop Economically"

 and  1. Bunyoro has OIL  http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/21/576860

         2. Bunyoro  has URANIUM http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/576732

         3. Bunyoro has NATURAL GAS for generating electricity as early as next year 

         4. Bunyoro's River Falls at Muziizi, Nguse and Wambabya are to generate electricity

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UGANDA FINDS NATURAL GAS FOR ELECTRICITY

and its along Lake Albert that more good news is coming out:  The Oil explorers in western Uganda have unexpectedy chanced upon NATURAL GAS RESERVES, whch could generate electricity power as early as next year 2008. Is this the golden chance coming to the Banyoro finnaly and perhaps a chance that the Big shots want to grab from the Banyoro?

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/575667

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URANIUM - NOW FOUND IN KIBAALE DISTRICT - BUNYORO KINGDOM

 The people of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom must be very happy that the land of their ancestors is now mushrooming with  more blessing -- the discovery of URANIUM in Kibaale district

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/581101  

1. it was the discovery of OIL
2. then the discovery of NATURAL GAS
3. and now its the discovery of URANIUM
4. and this time its in KIBAALE DISTRICT