It is largely savannah, covered with seasonal grasses, thorned plants, and occasional small trees. The average elevation of the plain of Karamoja lies at around 1400 meters (4500 feet) above sea level. The large mountains; Mt. Kadam, Mt. Napak, and Mt. Moroto — lying at the periphery of Karamoja — have peaks reaching around 3000 meters (10,000 feet) and higher. The region was ruled by the British
from 1916-1962.[1]
Armed Conflict
As pastoralism and conflict are strongly interrelated, the integrated management of natural resources, like pasture, livestock and water becomes crucial. In terms of economic activity the region depends on cattle keeping, mining, and trading in agricultural produce with neighboring districts. In mid-2006, as first reported by Inner City Press and then by The New Vision, the United Nations Development Programme halted its disarmament programs in Karamoja in response to human rights abuses in the parallel forcible disarmament programs carried out by the Uganda People's Defence Force. There have been reports of atrocities and many civil victims of the disarmament, as army forces and “warriors” clashed. Apparently, the army applied heavy weaponry against the “manyatas” (villages) where fi****ms are suspected, regardless of women, elders, and children inhabitants. The information level and quality is very scarce, though. Some sources say that such reports have been greatly exaggerated and that the disarmament is showing a positive effect on economic activity in the region.
