NGO staff flee over threats

Soroti. Soroti Development Association and NGOs Network (Sodann), has closed business due to threats to lives of employees, officials have said.
Speaking to Daily Monitor at the deserted company offices in Soroti Town last week, Mr Emmanuel Ogaram, a human rights monitor, said since last year when gunmen showed up at their offices looking for the coordinator, their operations have been hampered by frequent threats to their lives.

“We live in a state of fear. We cannot even do our work of protecting people’s lives. Police have taken up the matter, but threats never stop,” Mr Ogaram said.
According to officials at Sodann, since the attack on May 7, 2014, there has been six new threats to their staff.

In May 2014, Daily Monitor reported an incident in which a staff was put under gunpoint to show the whereabouts of Mr Moses Omiat, the chief executive officer, and another staff.
When contacted, Mr Omiat confirmed that the conditions they were working in had become uncomfortable.
The Resident District Commissioner, Mr Isaac Lulaba, acknowledged the threats, saying it was a sophisticated crime being investigated.
“These staff are being trailed using their phones and other forms of communication gadgets to locate them, making it complicated but also risky,” Mr Lulaba said.
He advised the affected staff to follow the advice by security to avoid further danger.

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