Ugandan forces have moved into Mahagi, a town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in a fresh operation against armed militias.
“Our troops have entered Mahagi town, and we are in control,” said Uganda’s defense and military affairs spokesman, Felix Kulayigye, on Sunday.
The deployment follows a request from the Congolese army after alleged massacres of civilians by the Codeco militia, Kulayigye added.
Mahagi, located in Ituri province near Uganda’s border, has been a hotspot of violence, with at least 51 people killed on February 10.
Codeco, a militia claiming to protect the Lendu farming community, has been accused of deadly attacks against the Hema herding community.
Uganda already maintains thousands of troops in Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government to combat armed groups destabilizing the region.
Last month, Uganda announced its forces had taken control of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, further solidifying its military presence in eastern Congo.
Ituri borders North and South Kivu, provinces where the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, has seized vast territories in recent months.
Observers fear Uganda and Rwanda’s military involvement could ignite a wider conflict reminiscent of the Second Congo War.
That war, which lasted from 1998 to 2003, drew in multiple African nations and left millions dead from violence, disease, and starvation.