At least 17 suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels were killed and 13 others captured Tuesday after they raided villages in Ntoroko District in western Uganda, the army said.
Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) said on Tuesday that the suspected rebels crossed River Semuliki into Kyanja and other villages which border the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It was this morning that we got information that a number of ADF rebels had crossed to Uganda at past midnight. Their intentions were not clear. The civilians gave information to the military and our intelligence officers. UPDF deployed and we killed about 17 and captured about 13 who are with us. They look young but they are all fighters. Some could have drowned in river Semuliki while fleeing from the UPDF,” said commander of the Mountain Division and Operation Shujaa Maj Gen Dick Olum.
He said the militias who raided the villages in the border district numbered between 30 and 40.
The ADF — which the Islamic State group claims as its Central African offshoot — is among the most violent of more than 120 armed groups active in eastern volatile DRC.
It has been accused of slaughtering thousands of Congolese civilians and carrying out bomb attacks in neighbouring Uganda.
The DRC and Uganda launched a joint offensive against the ADF in November 2021, but the militia continues to wreak havoc across swathes of territory.
Both armies are currently conducting joint operations in the area around the town of Beni — where the village of Vido is located. Rebel attacks in the area have resumed recently after several weeks of calm.
By Tuesday morning, hundreds of locals had fled their homes in Kibuuku, Butungama and Bweramule sub counties in Ntoroko District and camped at Karungutu primary school.