Latest news with #Lendu
Reuters
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Uganda military says it killed 242 rebels in east Congo this week
KAMPALA, March 22 (Reuters) - Uganda's army said it killed 242 fighters belonging to a Congolese rebel group known as CODECO after they attacked a Ugandan military camp across the border in east Congo earlier this week, a claim disputed by the group. Uganda military spokesperson Chris Magezi said hundreds of CODECO fighters attacked a Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) military post in the Congo locality of Fataki, in the province of Ituri, on Wednesday and Thursday. The army retaliated on both occasions, killing 31 militants on the first day and 211 on the second day, Magezi said in a post on X late on Friday. One UPDF soldier was killed and four others injured, he added. CODECO spokesperson Basa Zukpa Gerson refuted the army's account on Saturday, saying that the group only lost two fighters and that the UPDF death toll was higher. A United Nations source who did not wish to be named said 70 rebels and 12 Ugandan troops were killed. There were further clashes between the two sides on Saturday morning, CODECO and a local civil society leader said. CODECO fighters say their aim is to defend Lendu farmers from Hema herders, which have historically clashed over land. The group is one of a myriad of militias fighting over land and mineral resources in east Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have stepped up an offensive this year and made unprecedented gains. The conflict, rooted in the fallout from Rwanda's 1994 genocide and competition for mineral riches such as tantalum and gold, is eastern Congo's worst since a 1998-2003 war that drew in multiple neighbouring countries and left millions dead. Uganda sent troops to Congo in 2021 to help the government fight another rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is affiliated with the Islamic State and stages brutal attacks on villages. UPDF troops were deployed to northern Ituri a few weeks ago to prevent the ADF from infiltrating the area, and to stop hundreds of Congo refugees from fleeing into Uganda, Magezi said.
Arab News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ugandan army deploys to town in northeast Congo
KAMPALA: The Ugandan army confirmed Sunday it has sent troops to another town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war. 'Our troops have entered Mahagi town and we are in control,' Uganda's defense and military affairs spokesman Felix Kulayigye said Sunday. The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, or Codeco, he said, without providing further details. Mahagi is in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, where at least 51 people were killed on Feb. 10 by armed men affiliated with Codeco, according to humanitarian and local sources. Codeco claims it defends the interests of the Lendu community, mainly composed of farmers, against the Hema community, mainly herders. Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government. Last month, Uganda announced its troops had 'taken control' of the provincial capital, Bunia. Ituri is just north of the provinces of North and South Kivu, which at the end of January fell under the control of the anti-government M23 armed group, which is backed by neighboring Rwanda. Analysts fear that Uganda and Rwanda's growing presence in eastern Congo could lead to a repeat of the so-called Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2003, involving many African countries and resulting in millions of deaths from violence, disease and famine. Meanwhile, Congo's army denied on Sunday that 20 fighters linked to the Rwandan genocide had been captured on its territory, calling a video of their handover to Rwanda 'faked.' The statement came after the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in eastern Congo said on Saturday it had captured fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, a militia founded by ethnic Hutus who took part in the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. Rwanda has long pointed to the alleged presence of the FDLR in eastern Congo to justify its support for the M23. With Rwanda's backing, the M23 has seized swaths of the Congo's troubled, mineral-rich east in recent months, including the key provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. The M23 released a video showing its forces handing over 20 alleged FDLR fighters to Rwanda at a border post between the two countries. 'This is a faked incident in poor taste orchestrated with the sole aim of discrediting our army,' the Congolese armed forces chiefs of staff said in a statement. 'This is part of the Rwandan strategy to justify the invasion of parts of the DRC's territory,' it added. 'The Rwandan authorities, who specialize in the art of lies and manipulation, took old FDLR detainees, dressed them in new military fatigues, and passed them off as FDLR fighters newly captured in Goma.' The Congolese high command also accused the Rwandan army of 'summary executions' of wounded and ill soldiers at a field hospital in Goma, which 'constitutes a war crime and crime against humanity,' it said.
Voice of America
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Ugandan army deploys to town in northeast DR Congo
The Ugandan army confirmed Sunday it has sent troops to another town in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war. "Our troops have entered Mahagi town, and we are in control," Uganda's defense and military affairs spokesperson Felix Kulayigye told AFP Sunday. The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), he said, without providing further details. Mahagi is in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, where at least 51 people were killed on February 10 by armed men affiliated with CODECO, according to humanitarian and local sources. CODECO claims it defends the interests of the Lendu community, mainly composed of farmers, against the Hema community, who are mainly herders. Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government. Last month, Uganda announced its troops had "taken control" of the provincial capital, Bunia. Ituri is just north of the provinces of North and South Kivu, which at the end of January fell under the control of the anti-government M23 armed group, which the DRC says is backed by neighboring Rwanda. A claim that Kigali denies. Analysts fear that Uganda and Rwanda's growing presence in eastern DRC could lead to a repeat of the so-called Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2003, involving many African countries and resulting in millions of deaths from violence, disease and famine.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ugandan army deploys to town in northeast DR Congo amid fears of wider conflict
The Ugandan army confirmed Sunday it has sent troops to another town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war. "Our troops have entered Mahagi town and we are in control," Uganda's defence and military affairs spokesman Felix Kulayigye told French news agency AFP on Sunday. The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), he said, without providing further details. Mahagi is in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, where at least 51 people were killed on 10 February by armed men affiliated with Codeco, according to humanitarian and local sources. Codeco claims it defends the interests of the Lendu community, mainly composed of farmers, against the Hema community, mainly herders. Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government. It also operates a joint mission to combat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in strongholds near the Ugandan border. Last month, Uganda announced its troops had "taken control" of Bunia, capital of Ituri. Uganda's DRC mission under scrutiny amid claims of double dealing Ituri is just north of the provinces of North and South Kivu, which at the end of January fell under the control of another anti-government group known as the M23, backed by neighbouring Rwanda. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:DRC president suggests unity government to respond to the crisis in the eastICC Prosecutor Karim Khan arrives in DRC amid escalating eastern conflictUN accuses M23 of committing 'summary executions' of children in DRC
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ugandan Army Deploys to Town in Northeast DR Congo
The Ugandan army confirmed Sunday it has sent troops to another town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war. "Our troops have entered Mahagi town and we are in control," Uganda's defense and military affairs spokesman Felix Kulayigye told AFP Sunday. The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), he said, without providing further details. Mahagi is in Ituri province, which borders Uganda, where at least 51 people were killed on February 10 by armed men affiliated with Codeco, according to humanitarian and local sources. Codeco claims it defends the interests of the Lendu community, mainly composed of farmers, against the Hema community, mainly herders. Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government. Last month, Uganda announced its troops had "taken control" of the provincial capital, Bunia. Ituri is just north of the provinces of North and South Kivu, which at the end of January fell under the control of the anti-government M23 armed group, which is backed by neighboring Rwanda. Analysts fear that Uganda and Rwanda's growing presence in eastern DRC could lead to a repeat of the so-called Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2003, involving many African countries and resulting in millions of deaths from violence, disease and famine.
