Ugandan security forces have recovered dozens of stolen livestock following an armed cattle raid in the country’s northeastern Karamoja sub-region, underscoring the persistent challenge of livestock theft and inter-community insecurity in the region.
The raid occurred on the evening of 18 July 2026, when suspected armed cattle rustlers from the Jie community in Kotido District allegedly attacked livestock grazing in Oreta Hills, Oreta Sub-county, Abim District.
Authorities said the assailants drove away 63 head of cattle and 24 goats belonging to two livestock owners from Katurai Village in neighbouring Napak District.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said a joint team comprising the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) stationed at Aujathogo Detach responded immediately after the raid was reported.
“The team pursued the suspected raiders and intercepted them, triggering an exchange of gunfire that forced the suspects to abandon all the stolen animals before fleeing the scene,” Kituuma said.
All 63 cattle and 24 goats were successfully recovered, and authorities said arrangements were underway to return the livestock to their rightful owners. No casualties were immediately reported.
Cattle raiding has long been a source of insecurity in Uganda’s Karamoja region, where competition over livestock, the proliferation of illicit firearms and longstanding inter-community rivalries have periodically fuelled violence despite sustained government disarmament and security operations.
