11 ADF rebels killed in Ntoroko - army

Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) said Tuesday that they had killed at least 11 suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels after they entered Ntoroko District in western Uganda.
The army said the rebels crossed River Semuliki into Kyanja as they raided Ntoroko which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

“Estimated 20-30 ADF fighters last night crossed River Semuliki into Kyanja in Ntoroko district. Our intelligence got wind of them and they were intercepted. A fight is on to decisively deal with the group. 11 of them have been put out of Action. More details will be availed,” Defence spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye tweeted.
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 started fleeing their homes in Kayanja and Kyobe villages in Bweramule Sub County.
The Sub County chairman, Mr Onan Bagonza said the militias raided the villages at around 5am and started shooting at civilians, injuring about three people by 7am.

“It is true that ADF rebels have attacked my sub county and up to now, there is gunfire exchange between ADF and UPDF. The injured have been taken to Rwamabale. Other locals are running to Rwebisengo seeking refuge,” Mr Bagonza told Monitor on Tuesday morning.  
According to him, UPDF have already deployed heavily in Bweramule Sub County while authorities are still establishing if there are more people who have been injured.
“I have shifted my family from the area. We are now heading to Rwebisengo to see if we can get a safe place because all people are running from their homes. UPDF soldiers have cut off all the roads heading to Rwamabale from Bweramule,” he explained. 

READ: Suspected ADF rebels kill pastor, nine others near Uganda border

However, several videos with gory images showing bodies of suspected rebels and civilians have been widely shared on social media since morning.
The attack happened in an area just over 3 kilometers from River Semliki at the border of Uganda with DR Congo.
The raid happened barely two days after President Museveni on Sunday left the country to join nearly 50 African heads of state or government currently attending the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, DC from December 13-15.
On his way to the United States, Mr Museveni, during a stop over working visit to the UK addressed Foreign Press Association reporters whom he told that Uganda’s position remains hellbent on African Unity, Africa’s strategic survival economically and politically.

"And this will be on my mind during deliberations at the Summit [in Washington]....With the journalists, we had a candid debate on Uganda’s economic, political, and global direction. They were also keen on my views about the US-Africa Leader’s Summit," Mr Museveni tweeted on Tuesday.
Mr Museveni also met UK’s Minister of State (Development & Africa) in London Andrew Mitchell.
"We talked about regional peace and security among other issues of mutual interest," the President said.