By Jennifer Acheng
There is a brewing contest over the ownership of the area where the newly discovered Okemer gold mining site in Abim district lies.

Early this month hundreds of locals from within and outside the district thronged the said site after discovering huge gold deposits in the area before they were later evicted by the Abim district authorities over a number of concerns, including lack of sanitary facilities and security issues.
The site has since been sealed off by security forces, under orders of the Abim district security committee.
However, in a new twist of events, the leaders from the two sub-counties of Alerek and Chamkok are now claiming ownership of the site, with each saying it is under their administrative units.
Marino Aballa Otuu, the Chamkok LC3 chairperson says after the creation of Camkok sub-county as a new administrative unit, Okemer area, was designated under his sub-county, in the parish of Kasiputh, further accusing Alerek sub-county and Alerek town council authorities of conniving against camkok sub-county
Aballa says they have already petitioned the Abim district leadership, calling for their intervention into the matter, as they wait to hold a meeting with the sub-county council, to forge a way forward.
However, the Alerek sub-county LCV councilor Godfrey Okech, who doubles as the district vice chairperson says the mining area belongs to Alerek sub-county, under Kulodwong parrish. Okech says that chamokok was curved out of the mother sub-county of Alerek by the previous sub-county council, were Okemer was desigated under Alerek
The Abim district police commander, Sp Peter Akampurira, while speaking to our reporters from his office highlighted the issue of Okemer mining site ownership contest as one of the issues to be harmonized before they can re-open the mining site.
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