A new deadline of June 30 for eviction has been set for the herdsmen charged with illegally grazing in the Teso wetlands. Individuals from groups such as the Bahima, Maasai, Banyarwanda, Iteso, Sabiny and Banyankole were pushed off their land - the Bunyoro-Kitara Cooperative Union in the Masindi district - to make room for private developers who had apparently purchased the land. May 31 was the initial deadline given by the National Environmental Management Authority, but the pastoralists argued that they needed more time to find a place to go or to purchase suitable land. A local official said “necessary force” would be used to remove the pastoralists.
