On 13 December 2022, fighting broke out between the

Uganda People's Defence Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...

and the

Allied Democratic Forces The Allied Democratic Forces (; abbreviated ADF) is a Ugandan Islamist rebel group based in western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the Ugandan government and the United States. ...

Ntoroko District Ntoroko District is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Western Region, Uganda, Western Region of Uganda. The district headquarters are in the Kibbuuku town council. It is the second least populated district in Uganda. Location Ntoroko Distric ...

, in western Uganda.

Prelude

In the 1990s, the Islamist group

formed in southern Uganda, and quickly took hold in eastern Congo and the dense rainforests there, launching attacks on civilians and Congolese forces. However, the group has made several incursions into the Ugandan border in the late 2010s and early 2020s, as their influence grew in the Congo. In late 2021, the Ugandan Army dispatched to eastern Congo to aid the Congolese and Rwandan militaries in relieving the

Kivu Kivu is the name for a large region in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that borders Lake Kivu. It was a ''Région'' (read 'province') of the country under the rule of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1966 to 1988. As an official ''Région'' ...

and

Ituri Ituri Province ( in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of the 21 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the Subdivisions of the DR Congo#New provinces, 2015 repartitioning. Ituri, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Tshopo provinces ...

conflicts. Incursions by the ADF into Uganda, however, occasionally happened, along with attacks in the Ugandan capital of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

Battle

Civilians in Bweramule sub-county, in Ntoroko, first spotted ADF militants on 13 December. Speaking to the Ugandan military, they stated around 20-40 militants crossed the Semuliki river into the district. The fighters were armed with around 15-20 guns. Captured ADF fighters stated that once they crossed into Ntoroko, the ADF contingent was split into several groups. Meanwhile, the Ugandan military's 8th Mountain Battalion, stationed in the area, responded to the incursion. The ADF attacked civilians in Bweramule, killing three people. In the ensuing clashes between Ugandan forces and the ADF, seventeen ADF fighters were killed and thirteen were captured, mostly

child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...

. The commander of the Ugandan Mountain Division,

Dick Olum Major General Richard Prit Olum, commonly known as Dick Olum, is a military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF). Effective 13 May 2024, he serves as commander of the "South Sudan Stabilization Mechanism", an observer force to ensu ...

, stated the other ten fighters likely drowned in the Semuliki river when crossing back. In the clashes, one Ugandan soldier was killed, and two were injured.

Aftermath

By 14 December, civilians sheltering in the local public school were able to return home. Around 8,000 people were displaced in total from the attacks, 7,000 of which from Bweramule sub-county, and 1,000 combined from Butungama sub-county and Kibuuku town. On 25 December, seven more ADF fighters that were hiding were caught by civilians and military forces. All fighters were between the ages of 12 and 14.

References

2022 in Uganda December 2022 in Uganda

Ntoroko clashes On 13 December 2022, fighting broke out between the Uganda People's Defence Force and the Allied Democratic Forces in Ntoroko District, in western Uganda. Prelude In the 1990s, the Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces formed in southern Uga ...

Battles in 2022 Allied Democratic Forces {{DEFAULTSORT:Ntoroko, Battle of Battles involving Uganda