WEST NILE REGION RECORDS SURGE IN LAND DISPUTES

Residents of West Nile region seeking legal services during the regional community barraza organized by the ODPP in Arua City (All photos by Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The land disputes dominate the office of the director of public persecutions of Uganda regional community Barraza for West Nile region, in Arua City.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in the region reports that land-related cases are the most common in the local criminal justice system.

These disputes are fueled by structural factors, including the prolonged absence of Grade One Magistrates in neighboring districts such as Terego, Obongi, Madi Okollo, and Arua.

As a result, all land cases from these districts are transferred to the Arua Chief Magistrate’s and high Court, causing significant congestion and case backlogs.

The regional Community Barraza, organized at the OPM Grounds in Arua City, was conducted by the ODPP in partnership with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The event focused on issues related to “Tackling GBV, Land Crimes, and Refugee Protection.”

Residents and refugees line-up to raise their issues to the DPP during the Community Barraza.

Richard Muhereza, the Chief State Attorney and Regional Director of Public Prosecutions for West Nile, emphasized the importance of peaceful resolution of land disputes to restore peace and reduce court backlog.

“Land is increasingly becoming small as the population is growing we have individual and clan conflicts over land in the region, these conflicts have triggered common cases such as arson, malicious damage of property, criminal trespass, forgery and forceful entry, if we manage the land related crimes peaceful I think West Nile region will be peaceful” he said.

Land disputes often escalate into criminal offenses such as arson, malicious property damage, assault, and murder. Unresolved civil disputes—like land grabbing and boundary conflicts—are common and frequently spill over into criminal cases, worsening the backlog and straining the justice system.

Hon Lady Justice Harriet Grace Magala, the resident Judge for the Arua High Court, noted that the increasing value of land and the presence of refugees have intensified land conflicts, thereby contributing to the rise in related criminal cases.

“Land related crimes have increased in the region whereby you find out that an individual will want to sell a community land and the members of the community are saying that this is a customary land you cannot sell because it belongs to us as a community or clan. The backlog of cases in my court are as a result of such land related conflicts because there is pressure on the available land in the region due to the presence of refugees and the people in the region are now realizing the value of land” she said.

Lino Anguzu, the Director of Public Prosecutions, acknowledged the surge in land issues across the country, urging reforms in land laws and advocating for a multi-sectorial approach to managing land disputes.

“We need to seriously go back to the debate concerning land related laws and see if we can do some amendments on the land policy in terms of interventions that assist our people to resolve land conflicts, these issue requires a multi-sectorial approach involving all the stakeholders to address it.” he said.

These conflicts have led to inter-clan violence, homicide, and other land-related offenses, affecting both local communities and refugees. Such violence underscores the urgent need for effective resolution mechanisms and legal guidance in this area.

The regional Barraza in Arua serves as a vital platform for public accountability, allowing the West Nile Regional DPP office to directly engage with affected citizens.

This forum bypasses traditional bureaucratic hurdles, enabling prompt intervention and resolution of land grievances, thus helping to restore social cohesion and legal order in the region.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis