By Tim Cocks KAMPALA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - More than 50 cattle rustlers and four soldiers were killed this week in a sharp escalation of a conflict between the military and Karamojong warriors in Uganda's lawless northeast, the army said on Thursday. In the latest fighting, the military said troops backed by a helicopter gunship opened fire on Wednesday on AK-47-wielding 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 Ugandan army spokesman Henry Obbo. "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 leaving a trail of dead bodies. On Monday, a group of warriors opened fire on an army patrol, killing four soldiers and prompting the unit to chase them. Ugandan soldiers killed seven bandits and impounded 1,000 cows in the chase, Obbo said. "Then the warriors regrouped themselves with reinforcements yesterday. But they were repulsed by our firepower, we had military vehicles and a chopper," he said. 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. Clashes between the army and warriors killed 16 soldiers and scores of civilians in October. The United Nations has accused the military of using "indiscriminate and excessive" force, and of killing women and children. Local politicians are outraged about what they say are grave human rights abuses committed by the army, including the alleged use of torture to force households to give up their guns. Obbo said all such allegations were unfounded. "We are continuing operations," he said. "We shall disarm them forcefully. We have no alternative, we cannot just sit back."
