Four pupils were admitted Thursday morning after inhaling teargas fired by police to disperse clashes between rival Muslim factions at Lira Primary School. It all started after a group of Muslims led by Sheikh Musa Khalil, the Northern Regional Assistant to the Mufti, and Sheikh Salim Nangoye, the Kadhi Lango Muslim district stormed Madina Faizan Mosque alias Lira Primary school mosque to install the new imam.
The decision follows the recent decision by a group of Muslims led by Sheikh Mohammad Yusuf Balinda, the former Imam of Faizan Mosque to defect to the Kibuli-based Muslim leadership. Upon arrival at Madina Faizan Mosque, Sheikh Musa Khalil and his team found the gate of the mosque closed forcing some Muslim to break through the school fence to open the gate from inside. A fight broke out between members of the rival groups forcing security to deploy and fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Amidst the chaos, four female pupils became unconscious and were rushed to a nearby health center for medical attention. With a population of 1,672 pupils, management temporarily closed the school and sent back day scholars leaving only boarders and 164 P7 candidates inside their dormitories. Benson Ario, the head teacher of the school, who described the situation as “unfortunate”, is worried that if the situation does not normalize by evening, learning will be interrupted especially for the candidates.
ReadAlso
Speaking shortly after the fracas, Sheikh Musa Khalil, said their motive was to peacefully install the Imam of the Mosque as stipulated by their law. He accused the other faction of starting the fight.
According to Sheikh Khalil, the Kibuli faction must look for their properties and establish their headquarters.
Asuman Oula Waseme, the former spokesperson for the Northern Uganda Muslim Regional Administration, whose father donated the land on, which the contested properties sit, said his family might consider withdrawing the land from the Muslim Community if the confusion continues.
Fadhil Oguta P’Ochira, the Secretary of Lango Muslim District explained that today’s action is their first step in ensuring that all Muslim properties are recovered by UMSC. Adding that they will protect it at all costs.
Rashid Acup, the spokesperson for the Lango Kibuli Muslim faction described the incident as “unfortunate” saying the other faction has intentionally refused to follow a civilized way of solving problems. “It is a very arrogant way to think that violence still works at this time of the day. This happened against the backdrop of a security meeting, which we are starting right now so we thought we were amicably going to have those discussions but you know our brothers because they are defeated and they know that they cannot win us through a civil way they thought of going violent,” he said.
By the time of publishing this story, security including the police and the military had taken charge of the mosque while the leadership of both groups were locked up in a security meeting convened by Lira Resident City Commissioner, Lawrence Egole.
