The Ugandan army confirmed on Sunday that it has deployed troops to the town of Mahagi in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to combat armed groups, amid growing concerns that the escalating violence could spark a broader regional conflict.
“Our troops have entered Mahagi town, and we are in control,” Uganda’s defence and military affairs spokesman Felix Kulayigye told AFP.
The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following reports of civilian massacres allegedly carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), a militia claiming to defend the interests of the Lendu community against the Hema people.
Mahagi, located in Ituri province near the Ugandan border, has been the site of brutal violence, including a February 10 attack that left at least 51 people dead, according to humanitarian and local sources.
Uganda already maintains thousands of troops in Ituri under a military agreement with the Congolese government.
Last month, Uganda announced that its forces had “taken control” of the provincial capital, Bunia.
Ituri province lies just north of North and South Kivu, where the anti-government M23 armed group—backed by neighbouring Rwanda—seized control in late January.
The growing military presence of both Uganda and Rwanda in eastern DRC has sparked fears of a repeat of the Second Congo War, a devastating conflict from 1998 to 2003 that involved multiple African nations and resulted in millions of deaths due to violence, disease, and famine.
