The Ugandan military announced on Thursday that it had taken control of the towns of Kasenyi and Tchomia in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to prevent escalating inter-ethnic violence.
Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) spokesperson, Chris Magezi, shared a video on X showing Ugandan troops being welcomed by locals in Kasenyi. “We occupied it and Tchomia today to prevent inter-ethnic fighting and to protect the population,” Magezi said.
Both towns are located in DRC’s volatile Ituri province, near Lake Albert—a region where Uganda, in collaboration with French energy giant TotalEnergies and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, is developing a major oil project.
While regional tensions have been heightened by Rwanda’s backing of the M23 rebel group, which has captured vast areas of eastern DRC in recent months, Uganda’s involvement in the region has been more nuanced. Kampala has cooperated with Kinshasa to combat Islamist insurgents, yet analysts suggest Uganda also has economic interests—particularly in securing access to Congolese gold mines and regional trade routes.
This latest move follows Uganda’s February announcement that it had assumed responsibility for security in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province.
