"Oil fuels land grabs in the Albertine Region"

“This has been a peaceful place, but three years ago, outsiders raided our village claiming they own this land. They are here because of the possible existence of oil in this area.” So recounts 53-year old Santa Daniel Achiro, a widow and mother of seven, who has lived in Alokwinyo village, Purongo sub-county in Nwoya district for over 30 years. The usually sleepy Nwoya and Nebbi districts have hit the headlines lately, with locals up in arms over the increasing cases of land grabbing, pitting the two districts against each other as well as the predominant tribes in them: Acholi and Jonam...According to the Nwoya District Chairman, Patrick Oryem, land conflicts in the area started escalating after 2006, around the time oil was found. He explained that since then, more people have flocked to the district in pursuit of oil opportunities, intensifying the demand for land. “Land for farming has become limited yet people must find means of survival. They therefore fight for their only asset,” said Oryem