More than 100 Congolese fishermen have entered Uganda following a temporary ban on fishing activities on the DR Congo side of Lake Albert.
Congolese Fisheries authorities last month imposed a three-month ban on fishing activities to enable the fish to restock.
The ban has however rendered some of the fishermen jobless. Hoima district fisheries officer James Mwesigwa says the fishermen began arriving in the country a week ago with illegal fishing gears.
Mwesigwa says the fishermen that include men and women from Magpor landing site in DRC are now camped at the landing sites of Kijangi, Waki, Songagagi and Ruunga in Hoima district.
The fisheries officer says the fishermen who traveled in groups had the prohibited fishing nets which were eventually impounded. He says the fishermen won’t be allowed to fish on Ugandan waters since this would add more pressure onto the lake.
Kijangi LCI chairman Fred Bigirwa says the arrival of the fishermen threw residents and the local leadership into panic as they possessed no travel documents. This prompted his office to alert police that held them for scrutiny. They were released shortly after.
The officer in charge Lake Albert Marine Police, Vincent Makosa, says all those fishermen without documents have been sent back home to collect them and will not be allowed to reclaim their impounded fishing gears.
The marine boss blames Lake Albert transporters for accelerating illegal immigration which he says is endangering both security and fishing on the lake.
He asks local authorities to be vigilant and verify any persons using the waters into Uganda. This comes amid fears of a possible intrusion by suspected remnants of the Allied Democratic Forces—ADF rebels into Uganda following fighting in Eastern DRC.
