Death toll from rebel attack in western Uganda rises to 10

KAMPALA | Xinhua | The death toll from a rebel attack in the western Uganda district of Kamwenge has climbed to 10, local authorities said Tuesday.

Byarugaba Isaiah Kanyamahane, the resident district commissioner for Kamwenge, told Xinhua over the telephone that five males and five females, all civilians, were killed by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group.

“Last night at about 1:00 a.m. (2200 GMT Monday) rebels attacked Kyabandara Parish of Kamwenge District. They killed five men and five women,” said Kanyamahane who is also the chairperson of the security committee in the district.

He said security forces are pursuing the enemy in the forest (Kibale National Park).

Kanyamahane said several people were injured, however, he could not establish the exact number.

The military last week reported that two ADF rebels had been killed and a commander injured in Kibale National Park. Part of the forest park is located in Kamwenge.

President Yoweri Museveni recently said some rebels had sneaked into the country following heavy bombardment in the neighboring eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a combined force of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces and DRC have been hunting them since 2021. ■