In Summary: UPDF 3 Infantry Division Commander Brig Gen Michael Walaka Hyeroba has urged Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan to coordinate security and climate interventions, warning that drought, shrinking pasture and water scarcity are fuelling insecurity among cross-border pastoral communities.
Kaabong, Uganda — The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) 3 Infantry Division Commander, Brig Gen Michael Walaka Hyeroba, has called for coordinated peace and climate action among Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya, warning that environmental challenges are increasingly fuelling insecurity in cross-border pastoral communities.
“We cannot secure peace without addressing the climate. And we cannot address climate without securing peace,” Brig Gen Hyeroba said.
He was speaking at a three-day Uganda-South Sudan Cross-Border Peace and Climate Action Conference organised by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Kaabong District under the theme “Building Peaceful and Resilient Communities Across Borders.”
Brig Gen Hyeroba said prolonged drought, unreliable rainfall, dwindling pasture and drying water sources were pushing pastoralists in Karamoja, Turkana, West Pokot and Eastern Equatoria to cross borders in search of survival, sometimes triggering conflict.
He called for shared early warning systems, coordinated management of water and pasture, community-led peace structures, climate-resilient livelihoods and environmental protection to strengthen stability across the region.
The commander urged governments and development partners to invest in water infrastructure, pasture management and cross-border development, noting that improved access to water and grazing resources could help prevent conflicts.
“Karamoja, Turkana and Eastern Equatoria share the same sun, the same drought, the same cattle and the same future. If we build peaceful and resilient communities across borders, our children will inherit grazing land, not battlefields,” he said.
The Minister for Karamoja Affairs, John Baptist Lokii, said peace was essential for prosperity, arguing that insecurity contributed to poverty and underdevelopment. He commended the UPDF for its sacrifices in restoring peace and called for sustained security operations against criminals possessing illegal firearms.
The Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lilly Akello, thanked ADRA for bringing stakeholders together and called for a holistic approach to peacebuilding and climate action. She also emphasised the importance of women’s participation and transparency in security matters.
Members of Parliament representing Dodoth East, Peter Pex Paak; Dodoth West, Baatom Ben Koryang; and Kotido District Woman MP, Hafsa Nuriat, urged stakeholders to translate the conference resolutions into practical action.
They observed that pastoral communities across the three countries faced similar challenges, including drought, cattle theft, insecurity and environmental degradation, stressing that sustainable development depended on lasting peace.
The conference brought together military commanders, security officers, civil leaders, elders, development partners and representatives from Uganda, South Sudan and Kenya to strengthen cross-border cooperation and promote peaceful, climate-resilient communities.
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