Police in Uganda’s northern district of Moroto have started arresting people buying five or more chapatis, suspecting they could be feeding cattle rustlers in the region, the Uganda Radio Network (URN) reports.
“We have received information that those buying many chapatis take them to the warriors in the bushes,” Micheal Longole, the Karamoja region police spokesperson, is quoted as saying by URN.
He said stopping the supply of food to cattle rustlers would force them out of hiding and surrender their weapons.
Local peace activist Mark Koryang said the initiative would not work.
“These warriors can survive without even eating chapati,” he said.
Another resident told URN that the security officers needed to work with local people to deal with insecurity in the region.
Some 58 guns have been recovered in the entire region since a disarmament exercise started on 17 July, Edrine Mawanda, the spokesperson for the army unit conducting the exercise, told URN.
