Ugandan military joins hunt for armed men who killed South Sudan legislator

KAMPALA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan military said Saturday it has joined other security agencies in the hunt for the armed men who killed South Sudan regional parliament legislator on Wednesday in the northwestern district of Yumbe.

Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda's military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that army officers have joined the police force for a manhunt of suspects who killed Jacob Kuwinsuk Gale, South Sudan's Yei River State Transitional Legislative Assembly legislator.

"All security forces are working together to ensure the perpetrators of this incident are arrested and brought to book," said Karemire.

The military spokesperson said the security has been beefed up at the refugee settlements hosting over one million displaced South Sudanese to avoid future killings.

Josephine Angucia, the West Nile police spokesperson on Saturday said that no arrests have so far been made into the shooting of Gale.

"As a security measure, refugees are being advised to stay at gazetted camps where Uganda government can be able to monitor and provide security to them effectively," said Angucia.

Gale, the former Yei assembly chairperson for members' affairs, gender and human rights committee was shot at Pacific village, Yumbe by armed men allegedly loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar and died on his way to Arua Referral Hospital.

The killing comes barely days after armed gunmen last week beheaded two South Sudanese in the neighboring district of Moyo.

Uganda is host to more than one million South Sudanese refugees. The influx of the refugees was sparked by fighting in 2013 between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting Machar. Enditem