Security Forces Evict Thousands from Nsowe Forest Reserve in Gomba

Security forces have launched an operation to remove thousands of illegal settlers from Nsowe Central Forest Reserve in Gomba District following a presidential directive aimed at protecting the country’s forest reserves and restoring degraded ecosystems.

Security forces have begun evicting thousands of illegal settlers from Nsowe Central Forest Reserve in Maddu Sub-county, Gomba District, following a directive by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to protect the country’s forest resources.

The joint operation involving the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has so far targeted more than 5,000 cattle keepers and other occupants who had reportedly settled inside the protected forest reserve.

The settlers are accused of establishing homes, cultivating crops and grazing livestock within the reserve, activities authorities say have contributed to environmental degradation and the destruction of protected natural resources.

The eviction exercise is being supervised by the Katonga Regional Police Command in coordination with UPDF officers deployed in the area.

President Museveni recently ordered all illegal occupants to vacate Nsowe Central Forest Reserve, citing increasing encroachment and damage to the forest ecosystem. However, security officials said some occupants remained in the reserve, prompting the enforcement operation.

Katonga Regional Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said the exercise has so far been peaceful, with security teams moving across different sections of the reserve to implement the presidential directive.

"We have not registered any serious challenges during the eviction exercise. Our teams are moving from one area to another to ensure that the presidential directive is fully implemented and that all illegal occupants leave the forest reserve," Tumushabe said.

Security officials said some occupants had established cattle farms, cultivated food and cash crops and constructed both temporary and permanent structures inside the protected area.

During the operation, security teams demolished makeshift houses and other illegal structures as part of efforts to restore the forest reserve.

Tumushabe said the eviction exercise will continue until all illegal occupants have left the protected area.

"Our duty is to ensure that the protected forest is safeguarded. We shall maintain a security presence in the area to prevent fresh encroachment and ensure that those who have been evicted do not return," she said.

Authorities have since deployed security personnel within and around Nsowe Central Forest Reserve to monitor the area and prevent renewed settlement or activities that could threaten conservation efforts.

The operation is part of broader government efforts to protect forest reserves, restore degraded ecosystems and enforce environmental conservation laws across the country.