Ugandan and Congolese troops rescued at least 200 civilians during a raid on an ADF camp in eastern Congo last week, the Ugandan military said Monday.
The captives were held by the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan-origin Islamist militant group that pledged allegiance to Islamic State a decade ago.
The ADF has killed thousands of civilians in eastern Congo since escalating attacks in 2014, according to United Nations figures.
Congo’s army says the group has kidnapped large numbers of civilians and forced young female captives into marriages with fighters.
The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces said those freed along the River Epulu included a 14-year-old girl.
UPDF spokesperson Chris Magezi told Reuters the raid was conducted last week in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Several appeared frail, suffering from untreated illnesses such as malaria, respiratory infections, and physical exhaustion,” the UPDF statement said.
Uganda deployed troops to Congo in 2021 to support Kinshasa’s government in fighting the ADF insurgency.
The ADF took up arms against Ugandan authorities in the mid-1990s, later routed and driven into Congo in the early 2000s.