Eleven fleeing fugitives from the Congolese army FARDC were responsible for the panic in Kasese district on Wednesday, the Ugandan army has said.
Army spokesperson, Paddy Ankunda says there was no attack on any area of Kasese
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) on Thursday dismissed reports that the incident was an attack by the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebels.
“Contrary to what was reported in the dailies, there was no attack on any area of Kasese,” the army spokesperson, Paddy Ankunda said.
He explained that the panic and false reports followed an incident Wednesday when, 11 fugitive soldiers of FARDC (the DRC military) under the Command of Col Eric Bisamaza, illegally crossed into Ugandan territory and were arrested by the UPDF troops in Bwera,Kasese District.”
According to Ankunda, Bisamaza, who had defected from the FARDC last month, and his group were fleeing to safety following a pursuit by the FARDC Army.
He further dismissed reports by the UPDF sources in Kasese who had reported the army had pursued the Congolose.
There was no shooting since the group was not violent, he said.
“Additionally, the action of the troops did not cause any displacement of the community .The UPDF and the Government of Uganda have started the process of repatriating them, following the diplomatic channels,” Ankunda added.
By Taddeo Bwambale,The New Vision
