Rebel attack in western Uganda claims 10 lives

KAMPALA, Uganda

At least 10 people are confirmed dead following a Monday night attack in western Uganda allegedly by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.

According to preliminary findings by police, 10 armed assailants attacked and fatally burnt 10 people in Kyitehurizi trading center, Kyabandara parish in Kamwenge sub-county, located near Kibale National Park.

A manhunt, led by Joint Security Agencies, is currently underway, and further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses, police said in a statement.

Uganda Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye told journalists that an operation was underway to apprehend the assailants.

“The army has been deployed in the district to hunt for the attackers. According to the Gombolola (Country) internal security officer, between five to 10 people are dead in the attack, but I'm yet to confirm the number,” he said.

The army spokesperson explained that the assailants were ADF remnants who were searching for food and in the process killed the locals. He added that their commander known as Kamusi was arrested last week and two of his bodyguards were killed in the Kibale National Park in western Uganda.

This comes days after Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said on Dec. 13 that at least 200 members of ADF rebels were killed in airstrikes led by Uganda in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"We have been carrying out air attacks on the terrorists in Congo, 200 of them were killed," President Museveni said on X.

Uganda and the DRC launched a joint offensive in 2021 to drive the ADF out of their Congolese strongholds, but have so far failed to put an end to the group's attacks.

In March, the United States announced that it was offering a reward of up to $5 million for any information that would lead to the group's leader, a Ugandan in his forties named Musa Baluku.

The rebels are accused of having massacred thousands of civilians in DR Congo in recent years and of carrying out attacks on Ugandan soil. In October, two tourists, a British man and a South African woman on their honeymoon, as well as their guide, were killed while on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park in the west of the country.