Armed militants, suspected to be rogue FARDC elements allied with the ultra-violent CODECO militias, attacked UPDF soldiers on patrol yesterday at 11am, prompting the UPDF patrol unit to return fire and neutralise some of the attackers.
Col Chris Magezi, the acting Director of Defence Public Information, said they are "yet to conclusively determine" the motive of the attack.
UPDF forces in that part of the Ituri region have severely degraded CODECO as a fighting force, which was previously responsible for widespread massacres against unarmed civilians, including women and children.
"The criminal and terrorist enterprise that CODECO is does not want a continued UPDF presence in the area, and it (CODECO) is trying to recruit some allies, including rogue elements associated with FARDC," said Col Magezi in a statement posted on X.
He noted that the relationship between the UPDF and FARDC remains rock solid as the joint forces battle negative groups in the Ituri Province and other parts of eastern DRC.