Two people were killed and two injured in separate elephant attacks in Lapono and Lukole on October 12, as suspected Karamojong raiders stole seven cattle, prompting local leaders to demand urgent government intervention.
Two people were killed and two others injured in separate elephant attacks in Agago District on October 12, as suspected Karamojong raiders stole seven cattle in a separate incident, deepening security and wildlife-related concerns in the area.
The incidents occurred in Lapono and Lukole sub-counties, where residents have repeatedly raised concerns about elephants straying from Kidepo Valley National Park and cattle theft.
In Te-Obiya Village, Kaket Parish, Lapono Sub-county, 16-year-old Oyoo Marachiliano was trampled to death by elephants that had entered the village at dusk.
During the same incident, 60-year-old Rose Awor, a resident of Lubiri Village in Kaket Parish, was attacked. Another 16-year-old, Robert Mwaka, from Kipaka West Village, Ogole Parish, was also injured after reportedly rushing to help her.
Both Awor and Mwaka sustained serious injuries and were receiving treatment, according to local accounts.
The elephants also killed a bull, adding to the losses suffered by the affected household.
Later that day, suspected Karamojong raiders reportedly stole seven cattle from a protected kraal in Ogwal Kamolo Village, Ogole Parish, Lapono Sub-county. The animals belonged to different families.
In a separate incident in Bwol Village, Kiwaro Parish, Lukole Sub-county, a 32-year-old man was killed in another elephant attack, bringing the death toll from the wildlife incidents to two.
The Lapono Sub-county LC3 Chairperson, Jakalia Oryema Atom, confirmed the incidents and called for urgent government intervention to protect residents from further attacks.
Oryema warned that continued inaction could push residents to take the law into their own hands, urging the government and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to address the recurring threat posed by elephants.
Agago Resident District Commissioner James Nabinson Kidega Nok also confirmed the incidents and appealed for calm as he engages stakeholders and the central government to find solutions.
The Chief Warden of UWA's Kidepo operations also confirmed the elephant attacks.
Residents said they had repeatedly raised concerns about elephants entering their communities but felt their pleas had not received sufficient attention.
“For long we have been telling government about these marauding elephants. No response. Now our children are dying,” residents told Nile Post in Lapono.
They appealed to President Museveni to visit the affected communities, accusing wildlife and security authorities of failing to adequately protect residents from elephant attacks and cattle theft.
The latest incidents have renewed concerns about the impact of wildlife incursions on communities bordering protected areas, where elephants can destroy crops, damage property and threaten human life.
Residents say the situation is compounded by cattle theft and food shortages, leaving many households struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
Agago communities have previously raised concerns about elephant incursions in areas including Lira Kato, Lapono, Paimol, Omiya Pachua, Lukole, Parabongo, Kuywe and Wol.
Residents are calling for measures such as trenches to keep elephants away from settlements, increased deployment of wildlife rangers, stronger security against cattle raids and compensation for affected households.
The latest deaths and injuries are likely to intensify pressure on the government and UWA to develop lasting solutions to human-wildlife conflict in Agago District.