April 17, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) — Amuru police are holding 10 South Sudanese nationals for illegally entering into Uganda. The suspects are locked up at Elegu police station on charges of illegal entry. Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa Region Police spokesperson, says the suspects entered Uganda over the past two days using porous borders.
He says the suspects created new entry points after the old ones were blocked by security. He identifies the suspects as Daniel Amis, Samuel Okot, Paul Aliko, David Ojok, and Robert Okot, all residents of Abila village Nimule and Pagirinya and Kololi camps respectively. They reportedly crossed to Uganda from South Sudan on April 15, 2020.
The others are Regina Abi, Cecilia Anyang, Maria Apere, Regina Adwaru and Garang Angweng. He says the suspects crossed into Uganda with the help of fishermen who carried them on their backs across River Unyama purportedly to pick their food ration because they are refugees.
According to Okema, the suspects crossed to South Sudan before the COVID-19 lock-down and returned to Uganda to get food as they have nothing to feed in their country, South Sudan. Michael Lakony, the Amuru district LC V chairperson, says he has severally raised concern on the issue of the porous borders compromising public health in the district.
He says there’s an urgent need by the government to operationalise the quarantine center so that suspects are kept there so as to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
