Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has visited the community of Apaa to speak and engage with them on the recent conflicts in the area.
He visited the contested area of Zoka and River Gorobi, where the Acholi and Madi are locked in a bitter land wrangle, a situation perpetuated by local and Parliamentary leaders.
This is the second time the Deputy Speaker is visiting Apaa.
Last year, Oulanyah together with Gen Moses Ali and President Yoweri Museveni held a meeting in Gulu in which they discussed solutions to the long standing conflict between the Madi and Acholi.
However, the resolutions that were agreed upon in the meeting varied from the recent conflict outside of the national game and forest reserve.
While meeting the Apaa community, Oulanyah asked them to come together and find solutions to the conflict.
He urged local leaders to champion the peace process and allow people start talking among themselves so that people can live in harmony again.
“How can you hate each other yet you have been living together for so long? He asked.
“You have intermarried among yourselves, have kids but above all you share ancestors,” Oulayah observed.
He also wondered how the community could support such a conflict yet they are the ones who feel the negative effects.
“We need each other…, you need to trade among yourselves, children have to go to school, health centers need to be built and better services need to be delivered but all this is becoming impossible because of conflict,” Oulanyah advised.
The deputy speaker of parliament also decried the manner in which some individuals were using the conflict as a means to score political points ignoring the fact that they are fueling the conflict.
He called upon the people of Apaa to reject such leaders and look at a bigger picture where both sides would benefit if peace is prioritized.
In agreement the LC3 chairperson of Itirikwa sub county Jesus Iranya emphasized the urgency for dialogue.
He accepted the proposal by Oulanyah to have committees from the two sides hold peace talks.
Earlier, the two committees had failed to reach a consensus with the Acholi blaming the Madi side for failure to honor their pledge to dialogue.
Oulanyah also informed the meeting that he would brief the president about his findings and have a meeting with Gen Moses Ali.