Tribal gunfight leaves 11 dead

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
ELEVEN people have fallen victims to high-powered guns used in a tribal fight in the Southern Highlands’ Kagua-Erave district, The National reports.
Many are unaccounted for, believed dead, while others were wounded, assistant police commissioner and highlands divisional commander Simon Kauba said yesterday.
He said many people from the warring tribes, Kandine and Mui, were killed within a short time because of the use of high-powered guns.
Kauba said provincial police commander Teddy Tei organised 15 policemen to accompany the provincial peace mediation team to Kagua yesterday.
He said the team would be camping in Kagua and would call on the leaders from both parties together to work out a peace process.
He said police and concerned authorities in the province would not allow people to kill each other using high-powered guns.
Kauba said the people should lay down their arms and cooperate with the developers in their province to bring in tangible improvements and services.
He said such tribal fights would not bring anything good into the area.
He said fight would cause more destruction, deaths and deprive the people of basic services.
He appealed to the tribal leaders of the warring tribes to encourage their people to lay down their arms and work closely with the police and provincial peace mediation team in Kagua to restore peace.
Kauba said whatever damage and loss of life in the past “is gone and it is time the fighting stop”.
The fight started two weeks ago over the death of a senior public servant from the Kandine tribe.
The Kandine blamed Mui for the death and killed six of them with one seriously injured.
The Mui retaliated and killed three people from the Kandine tribe.