Ugandan security forces have killed a self-styled “traditional herbalist” accused of leading a series of deadly attacks on police and military installations in the country’s western region, authorities said on Tuesday.
The weekend assault targeted stations in Bundibugyo, Kasese, and Fort Portal districts near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Insurgents armed with submachine guns and machetes killed one soldier and one civilian before being repelled by the army.
Officials said the attackers were attempting to seize weapons to form a tribal militia. The group’s leader, identified as Christian Asuman Muganzi, was tracked down to his hideout in Kakuka, Bundibugyo, where he was killed along with more than 20 of his followers. Fifteen others were captured alive.
“He was using his shrine to indoctrinate and recruit people into his criminal group,” said regional deputy security chief Albert Kaliruga. “We recovered traditional herbs, fetishes, and other materials he claimed could protect fighters in battle.”
Uganda has endured decades of violent insurgencies, including those led by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. Authorities continue to face sporadic threats along the western frontier, a volatile zone plagued by armed militias operating across the DRC border, some linked to Islamic State affiliates.
