SUMMARY

The Karamoja region in north-eastern Uganda is home to a large number of agropastoralist groups. The area, which is comprised of predominantly semiarid thorn savannah, is often described as one of the most inhospitable zones in Africa. Rainfall is erratic and the area suffers frequent draughts. In this context migratory livestock herding has proven to be the most sustainable way of life. As necessary resources such as water and pasture are scarce and the value ascribed to cattle is very high, fierce conflicts and large-scale cattle-raiding is a common phenomenon between the groups in the region.

While cattle-raiding has a long tradition in Karamoja, the practice has become increasingly deadly with the introduction of modern weapons. The first group managed to acquire automatic weapons in 1979 by plundering Idi Amin’s stockpiles in the chaos following his ouster. The other groups, after having suffered heavy losses, followed suit and the instability increased.

Just like the other conflicts in Karamoja the conflict between the Bokora Karimojong and the Jie is characterized by vicious circles of raids, with the two groups taking turn raiding each other’s cattle. Sometimes the attacks are swift with little loss of life, whereas other raids lead to long-running battles, leaving many dead.

As alliances change swiftly in the region, an interesting detail is that the Bokora Karimojong and the Jie are at times allied against other groups.

The non-state conflict between the Bokora Karimojong and the Jie is first included in UCDP data in 2003. In the middle of January of that year, the Bokora raided a Jie grazing area situated at Olilim market and the ensuing fighting resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.