Suspected attackers armed with pangas have launched coordinated assaults in Kasese, Fort Portal, and Bundibugyo districts, reportedly targeting police and army installations.
In Bundibugyo District, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Rt. Maj. John Mugabirwe, confirmed that the incidents occurred on Friday night, October 31, at two Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) detachments, Kakuka and Malindi.
Maj. Mugabirwe said UPDF soldiers at Kakuka Detach successfully repelled the attackers, killing five individuals dressed in plain clothes and armed with pangas.
‘Our forces managed to neutralize five of the attackers, and we are still assessing the situation at Malindi Detachment,’ he said.
The RDC dismissed reports linking the attackers to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, noting that none of the deceased were found with firearms.
In Kasese District, the attackers reportedly targeted the Kasese Police Barracks and Rughedabara Police Post, where four suspects armed with pangas were shot dead by security forces. Several others were arrested, though details of the operation remain scanty.
In Fort Portal City, a gunfire exchange erupted between unidentified assailants and security personnel at Canon Apollo Core Primary Teachers’ College (PTC). According to a staff member who preferred anonymity, the shooting began around 6:30 am.
‘One of my colleagues had gone out for morning jogging but saw many people at the school. They told him to go away. When he started running, they followed him – and that’s when soldiers appeared and began exchanging gunfire,’ she recounted, adding that she saw two bodies lying at the school gate after the attack.
Security agencies have since intensified operations in the affected areas as investigations continue to determine the motive and identities of the attackers.