The Mayor of Kapoeta Municipal Council has cautioned the area communities against providing refuge to criminals.

Speaking to The City Review on Sunday, Elia Lokuda urged citizens to be proactive and cooperate with the government by sharing information on the whereabouts of criminals who cause breaches of the peace and terrorise innocent people.

Late last month, security forces in Kapoeta South County apprehended robbers suspected of ambushing motorists on the Torit-Kapoeta-Narus highway.

The operation that led to the arrests took place in the areas of Machi and Kapoeta in Kapoeta South County.

The forces also confiscated 10 firearms, including PKM, and other gadgets like laptops and mobile telephones, as well as clothes in their possession.

The authorities have already noted an increase in cases of looting and killing in some parts of the roads, particularly in Camp-15 and along the highway to Narus of Kapoeta East County.

Lokuda urged the communities to work together with the government to create a secure and peaceful environment for meaningful activities that promote nation-building.

“We urge them to support the government in addressing this highway banditry because it is an issue that Christians and communities have to come to the support of the security organs and for the security organs to provide security so that the area where our people live is peaceful and secure for meaningful activities of nation-building,” said Lokuda.

He stressed that when the communities fail to report the presence of criminals among them, they will be facilitating wrong activities.

“The communities have a very big role to play in this, so why [do] I say so? [It is] because these wrong elements live among communities. And by harbouring them and not informing the relevant authorities to deal [with them] in accordance with the law, they will be facilitating those kinds of wrong activities.

“How do they support us by collaborating in terms of information sharing with security organs and us as a government because these are their own sons who come from these same communities, they go on the road, ambush vehicles, loot, kill, and rape women,” he added.

He advises them to identify the bandits and report them to the government, which uses its own apparatus to deal with them.

So, by that, volunteering information to us will help us, and then the government, using its own apparatus, will be able to deal with those criminals,” he said.