AFRICA/UGANDA - Dozens killed in clashes in the oil region

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Kampala (Agenzia Fides) - The Ugandan army claimed to have killed most of the 60 guerrillas responsible for a series of attacks that have hit some villages in the west of the Country. On Sunday, July 6 groups of armed men in civilian clothes had attacked three police stations and military barracks in the districts of Ntoroko, Bundibugyo and Kasese, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The toll of the attacks is still uncertain; according to the authorities a dozen people have been killed, including soldiers and civilians; according to media reports at least ninety people have been killed.
The attacks were attributed at first to the Islamic extremists of the ADF-NALU (which have their bases in neighboring DRC), but later the authorities stated that the violence is due to clashes between local ethnic groups. The region is crucial for the economic future of the Country for its oil reserves, that some foreign companies are preparing to exploit. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 08/07/2014)


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