Don’t encroach on the bufferzone, Capt Ankunda tells fishermen.

Rukungiri: The outgoing commander of the Fisheries protection Unit (FPU) on Lake Edward Captain Julius Ankunda has appealed to the fishermen at Rwenshama fish landing site to stop entering the buffer zone while doing their fishing activities.

Capt Ankunda made the appeal during the cross-border meeting convened by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Rukungiri Steven Bewayo Nsubuga at Rwenshama fish landing site in Rwenshama cell, Rwenshama parish, Bwambara sub-county.

In a meeting which was attended by leaders from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday, Capt Ankunda alluded that when traders encroach on the buffer zone (designated fish bleeding area in the lake), fish quantity reduces and subsequently government income.

He said that fishermen know where the buffer zone starts from and advised them to follow security orders. Capt Ankunda further said that the lake belongs to both fishermen and the government, intimating that once misused, each party makes losses.

The Rukungiri District police Commander SSP Musa Tibakirana called on police officers to work with people for peace to prevail on the lake and the surrounding areas. He reminded the men in uniform that they are deployed to serve Ugandans as their primary role.

The Resident District Commissioner for Rukungiri Bewayo Steven Nsubuga thanked the leaders who attended the meeting and called on them to lead the fight for lake protection.

Nsubuga said that President Yoweri Museveni deployed soldiers on Ugandan lakes to combat irregular activities such as catching of the fisherings and fishing in the buffer zones.

He also highlighted the importance of protecting lakes saying they are bigger sources of income to both the country and the residents in the surrounding areas.