By Spy Uganda
Kampala: An unidentified militia group has ambushed a convoy of Ugandan peacekeepers in the war-torn North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, injuring two of them.
The ambush occurred Monday evening in the Rukoro-Buari area along the Rutshuru-Bunagana road in Rutshuru territory.
Capt Hassan Ahmed Kato, the spokesperson of the Ugandan Contingent, confirmed on Tuesday that the attack took place as soldiers from the logistics department were en route to the Uganda-DR Congo border at Bunagana from Kiwanja to supply necessities.
“Two of our soldiers were injured by bullets fired by the armed group. However, the troops successfully repelled the attack, and the convoy proceeded to Bunagana. The injured soldiers were swiftly taken to Kisoro Hospital in Kisoro District, where they are receiving treatment and are in stable state,” he said.
Kato emphasized the need for such attacks against peacekeeping troops to cease immediately, warning that the troops have the mandate to defend themselves if necessary.
He also stressed that the attack would not hinder Ugandan troops from fulfilling the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) mission in DR Congo.
The East African Community Regional Force Communications department released a statement on Tuesday, confirming the incident and announcing the initiation of investigations into the ambush.
In the same vain, unknown armed assailants on Tuesday attacked a tourist vehicle Queen Elizabeth National Park killing a South African and British tourists as well as their driver in an incident that happened in Kasese district in western Uganda.
President Museveni has since described the incident as being unfortunate and infuriating.
“A couple of tourists and the Ugandan driver with them were killed at around 1800hrs on the Katwe- Kabatooro murram road, by a small group of terrorists running away from our operations in Congo, as I had shared with you in a previous message. It was a cowardly act on the part of the terrorists attacking innocent civilians and tragic for the couple who were newlyweds and visiting Uganda on their honeymoon. Of course, these terrorists will pay with their own wretched lives,” Museveni said in a statement.
According to Museveni, the security agencies including UPDF, Police, Uganda Wildlife Authority are on the matter to ensure the assailants are brought to book but to also ensure “these mistakes do not happen again and that ADF is wiped out.”
“ The wiping out is moving very well. What needs to be done is to ensure that the remnants do not commit these atrocities. “
He explained that whereas UWA rangers guard the tourists once they are in the park, of late, tourists were arriving and departing the parks individually and that is was this gap that the assailants took advantage of.
President Museveni however assured Ugandans and international tourists that the situation will be handled and terrorists will be defeated.
“The terrorists will be defeated like Kony was defeated and the cattle rustlers that have been killing people in Karamoja and the surrounding districts or those that were cutting People with pangas (bijambiya) in Masaka.”
