The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have dismissed reports from DR Congo claiming that Ugandan soldiers killed two members of the Congolese national army, popularly known by its French acronym FARDC, in a shootout on Tuesday in Djugu-centre, Ituri Province.
The army says the accounts circulating in Congolese media are misleading and do not reflect the actual events on the ground.
Colonel Chris Magezi, the acting Director of Defence Public Information, told the Nile Post that the reported clash was instead an attack on UPDF soldiers by armed militants suspected to be rogue FARDC elements allied with the violent Codeco militia.
"Armed militants, suspected to be rogue FARDC elements allied to the ultra violent Codeco militia, attacked UPDF soldiers on patrol yesterday morning (around 11am) for reasons we are yet to conclusively determine," Magezi said.
"The UPDF patrol unit returned fire and neutralised some of the attackers."
Col Magezi explained that UPDF operations in Ituri have significantly weakened Codeco, a group responsible for massacres of civilians, and suggested that the militia has been attempting to recruit rogue elements from within FARDC to undermine the ongoing joint security efforts.
Codeco (Cooperative for the Development of the Congo) is a militia group based in the Ituri Province of eastern DR Congo comprising mainly of the Lendu tribes.
The group is one of the most violent and destabilising armed groups in the region.
"In essence, the criminal and terrorist enterprise that Codeco is does not want continued UPDF presence in the area, and it (Codeco) has been trying to recruit some allies including but not limited to rogue elements associated with FARDC," Col Magezi said.
He said relations between UPDF and FARDC “remain rock solid” as both armies continue operations against negative forces in eastern DR Congo.
The incident occurred on a day of heightened regional tension, with heavy clashes reported between FARDC and M23 rebels across parts of South Kivu—specifically Katogota, Kaziba, Tchivanga, and Kasika—fighting that continued into Wednesday.
The strained security environment may have contributed to confusion over events in Djugu-centre, though the UPDF maintains there was no confrontation between the two partner forces.
A contrasting report by Radio Okapi claimed that an altercation erupted after UPDF soldiers arrested two civilians suspected of being Codeco members, leading FARDC troops to demand their release.
According to the Okapi account, gunfire broke out shortly afterward, leaving two FARDC soldiers dead and another injured.
Local authorities in Djugu are expected to conduct an investigation.