The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has been cited in a bitter land wrangle involving residents of Pabbo Sub County in Amuru District.

The residents have accused the UPDF of fencing off 69, 000 square kilometers of land claiming it to be part of land that has been cultivated by the army since 1983.

According to Christopher Ojera, the LC III Chairman Pabbo, the residents woke up on Saturday morning only to find the UPDF enclosing them inside the fence.

The Member of Parliament for Kilak County Hon Gilbert Olanya, who visited the land under dispute, says he counted 74 marked stones which have been planted by the UPDF and extends up to river Ayugi.

MP Olanya said that he met with a top brass of the UPDF who only identified himself as Lt Col Obwona and claimed to be from the “Chieftaincy of Production team in the UPDF” from Mbuya Military barrack and told him that the land belonged to the army since it was a former army farm land in the previous governments.

Olanya said that the “chieftaincy of production in the UPDF” told him that the land would have been leased a long time ago but due to the insurgency it could not be utilised.

The MP claims that to the best of his knowledge, the land in question was never “army land” but formerly a group farm which was used by the society for cotton farmers.

“There are about 1, 000 households around 10,000 people who are residing in the disputed land,” Olanya said.

The Kilak legislator accused the army of land grabbing and endangering the lives of families who are living in the disputed land.

The UPDF also faces similar accusations in Agago where it is claimed to have partitioned over 6,000 square kilometres of land.