On May 29, Richard Achuka drove a United Nations World Food Programme truck across the arid and impoverished landscape of Uganda's northeastern Karamoja region. His car sped ahead of three others in a convoy that included a Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) army escort.

It was already dark out. The day had been a long one - filled with delivering food to schools, homes and various organisations. The caravan had many stops, which is hardly surprising given that 70 percent of the population of Karamoja benefits from WFP programmes.

While the Karamoja, a minority group of semi-nomadic pastoralists, are accustomed to arid conditions, their already precarious food security has been shaken by the uncommon frequency and severity of recent droughts. Three droughts in six years mean that few people have enough to eat and malnutrition is the leading cause of death, according to the WFP.

The road Achuka drove down was known for ambushes in a region where banditry and insecurity are widespread. But no WFP trucks had been ambushed in Karamoja since 2003, and no WFP drivers had been killed since an attack in a different corner of the north, Arua, in 1998.

That all changed on May 29. Achuka's truck was ambushed by three or possibly more Karamojong men who shot him in the neck and shoulder.

The Karamojong have traditionally made a living from cattle, and attacks on neighbouring tribes to acquire more steer have long been common.

What has changed is the means of attack. Automatic weapons are rife in Karamoja, and some experts estimate there are upwards of 30,000 guns in the region. Cattle rustlers tote AK-47s that are smuggled over the porous border with neighbouring Kenya and bought on the cheap. (An AK-47 used to change hands for about $210, although the price has recently risen to around $570.)

Since May 2006, the UPDF has been trying to disarm the cattle-rustlers, but critics say the disarmament programme has sparked more violence than it has stopped by creating animosity and conflict between the Karamoja and the UPDF. More than 20 people were killed, including 16 UPDF soldiers, during a clash in October.

There's also said to be a connection between disarmament and road ambushes because of the increased tension and hostility.

It was dark at the time of this most recent ambush, but the logos of the WFP are easily recognised, says James Feeney, WFP head for the Karamoja region.

The consequences of the attack were immediate and severe. A life was lost and other officials feared for their own safety. The food distribution programme was halted immediately.

Within days, 30 Karamojong died of malnutrition. That may not be surprising when you consider that Karamoja has the highest rate of people eating only once per day, if that often.

The Ugandan media covered the story, as did international news wires like the United Nations' IRIN news service and Reuters.

With the exception of IRIN, no media outlets mentioned possible motivations, catalysts or causes of the attack. The IRIN story quoted a Uganda army captain, Henry Obbo, as saying: "We can attribute (the ambush) to the reopening of schools because some children have not returned to school for lack of school fees so they engage in lawlessness in a belief that they will rob some money and pay school fees."

But he now says the ambush was unrelated to school fees. "We still have to investigate to find the motive," Obbo said.

Asked about a possible motive for the attack, the WFP's Feeney said: "They were probably looking for the food or to steal the driver's phone. That's the motive for all ambushes in Karamoja. Normally they ambush trucks carrying goods. There's no other motivation."

This explanation is logical because Achuka's mobile phone was not found on his body. Police are now searching for the phone near the residences of three apprehended suspects.

But even this explanation begs questions: Why would the Karamojong bite the hand that feeds them? For a phone?

Feeney says police are now investigating possible motives but have yet to release information.

Every story on the attack ignores causal questions, as if "ambush" and "Karamoja" are explanation enough. There is no mention of the possibility of precipitating events or inquiries into motives for the first such occurrences in years.

"The warriors have the mentality of being violent to innocent people," said Obbo in a recent phone interview, offering his explanation of the incident. "The warriors even abuse the human rights of soldiers."

But just blaming this event on the mentality of the Karamojong ignores the structural problems plaguing the region and eliminates the possibility of finding a catalyst before the search has even begun.

Perhaps a better question than "Why did the Karamoja bite the hand that feeds them?" is "Why isn't the media looking at the impetus behind the bite?"

It's easy to write this off as "another ambush". However, doing so ignores the possibility of causal factors that, with identification, could be addressed to avoid future ambushes.

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