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The authorities in Uganda announced late on Tuesday that security forces had killed a “traditional herbalist” accused of orchestrating coordinated attacks on police and military installations over the weekend.
The assaults, which began on Saturday, targeted three districts in Uganda’s remote western region near the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border: Bundibugyo, Kasese, and Fort Portal.
Insurgents armed with submachine guns and machetes attacked security posts, killing one civilian and a soldier, according to the army.
An army officer in Bundibugyo said that the assailants were attempting to seize weapons to establish a tribal militia but were repelled by security forces.
Regional deputy security head Albert Kaliruga identified the leader as Christian Asuman Muganzi, a “traditional herbalist,” who was killed alongside more than 20 of his followers in Kakuka, Bundibugyo, on Tuesday. Fifteen others were arrested.
“Muganzi used his shrine at Kakuka to indoctrinate and recruit members of his criminal group,” Kaliruga said, adding that traditional herbs, charms, and fetishes believed to offer protection in battle were recovered from the site.
Uganda has a history of insurgency, notably under the cult-like movement led by warlord Joseph Kony in the 1990s and 2000s.
The country’s western border with the DRC remains volatile, hosting numerous armed groups, including factions affiliated with the Islamic State.
