More than 50 cattle rustlers and four soldiers were killed this week in clashes between the military and Karamojong warriors in Uganda's northeast, the army said today.
In the latest fighting, the military said troops backed by a helicopter gunship opened fire yesterday on bandits who tried to seize stolen cattle recovered by the army.
"We pursued these people. We killed 45 in one battle, bringing the total killed [since Monday] to 52," said a Ugandan army spokesman. "Our intent was to get them alive, but when they fire at you, what can you do?"
The drought-prone Karamoja region has suffered banditry and inter-clan warfare for decades, fuelled by disputes over shrinking water supplies and a flood of cheap, semi-automatic weapons trafficked from conflicts in the Horn of Africa.
Cattle rustlers regularly raid villages throughout the pastoral area, looting valuable livestock and often killing people.
Clashes between Karamojong clans and with the Turkana and Pokot of neighbouring Kenya have left the region one of Africa's least developed, aid agencies say.
Attempting to pacify Karamoja, Uganda's military launched a forceful disarmament programme last year, but the conflict has since worsened.
The United Nations has accused the military of using "indiscriminate and excessive" force, and of killing women and children.