Ugandan Army Deploys in Northeast DR Congo

The Ugandan army on Sunday confirmed that it has sent troops to another town in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo to fight local armed groups, amid fears a raging conflict could spiral into a wider war.

The deployment was requested by the Congolese army following alleged massacres of civilians carried out by a militia known as the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), he said, without providing further details

Codeco claims it defends the interests of the Lendu community, mainly composed of farmers, against the Hema community, mainly herders.

Uganda already has thousands of troops in other parts of Ituri under an agreement with the Congolese government.

Analysts fear that Uganda and Rwanda's growing presence in eastern DRC could lead to a repeat of the so-called Second Congo War, which lasted from 1998 to 2003, involving many African countries and resulting in millions of deaths from violence, disease and famine.