Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo jointly attacked an Islamic State-linked militia in eastern Congo on Tuesday, November 30.
According to three witnesses, Ugandan troops also crossed the border into Congo at Nobili in the afternoon.
However, Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya denied Ugandan soldiers had crossed, but Ugandan army spokeswoman Flavia Byekwaso said they had.
The strikes were targeted at the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, which has been based in Congo since the late 1990s and is accused of killing hundreds of villagers in raids after it pledged allegiance to Islamic State in mid-2019 .
“The targets were accurately hit and operations against the terrorists will continue as we look for other targets of opportunity during ground operations,” Ugandan army spokeswoman Byekwaso said in a statement.
“As announced, the targeted and concerted actions with the Ugandan army started today with air strikes and artillery fire from Uganda on the positions of ADF terrorists in the DRC,” Congo spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on Twitter.
The joint offensive is the first time Uganda has publicly intervened against the ADF in Congo since a brief campaign in December 2017.
A local official and a resident said they heard explosions on Tuesday morning in Watalinga territory, North Kivu province, in the borderlands of eastern Congo.
“There is a real panic here at home, especially because we were not informed of this situation,” said resident Julien Ngandayabo.
