✍️ By Newspot Nigeria Africa Desk
In a rapidly evolving military development in Central Africa, the Ugandan army has announced the occupation of two towns—Kasenyi and Tchomia—in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), citing efforts to “prevent inter-ethnic fighting” and safeguard civilians.
Spokesman for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Chris Magezi, confirmed the troop deployment via a video shared on social media platform X, showing UPDF soldiers being received by local residents in Kasenyi. According to Magezi, both towns were taken “to protect the population.”
The move comes against a tense regional backdrop. While Rwanda supports the M23 armed group, which has seized large swathes of mineral-rich eastern DRC in recent months, Uganda has maintained a more complex role, officially cooperating with the DRC government against Islamist insurgents, while quietly eyeing economic opportunities, including control of lucrative gold mines and trade corridors.
Both Kasenyi and Tchomia lie on Lake Albert, a strategic border area that is currently the site of a major oil development project involving Uganda, France’s TotalEnergies, and China’s National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
This is not Uganda’s first bold move in Ituri. In February, it had announced it had taken over the security apparatus in Bunia, the provincial capital. Analysts warn that while Uganda’s security justification is plausible, its actions also reflect deeper geopolitical and economic ambitions in a region already riddled with instability and international interest.
The full implications of Uganda’s latest occupation remain to be seen, especially as regional and international observers continue to call for restraint and multilateral engagement in addressing the eastern DRC’s long-standing crises.
Stay tuned to Newspot Nigeria for continued coverage on Africa’s evolving security landscape.
