Uganda announced on Thursday that they have successfully apprehended the leader of a militia group responsible for the tragic murders of two foreign tourists and their local guide during a honeymoon in a national park last month.
In a nighttime military operation conducted on Tuesday, he was the sole survivor from a unit of the notorious Allied Democratic Forces, while six other militants were eliminated, as reported by the army.
The victims of the attack on October 17 were a British and a South African national, along with their local guide.
The Ugandan authorities attributed the responsibility for this horrific incident to the ADF, an armed militia operating from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo and known to have affiliations with the Islamic State group.
Subsequently, the IS group claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that they had targeted and killed “three Christian tourists.”
Uganda’s Deputy Military Spokesman, Deo Akiiki, informed AFP that the unit commander, known only as Njovu, sustained injuries to his back during an exchange of gunfire on Tuesday.
“This was a successful joint military intelligence-led operation and the whole squad that had been sent by the ADF to cause mayhem, kill tourists, burn schools, hospitals, was eliminated,” Akiiki said.
“The only survivor is the commander whom we captured,” he said, adding that he would now face trial.
Akiiki disclosed that Njovu was discovered in possession of some of the personal belongings of the tourists who were tragically killed, along with the identification card of their Ugandan guide.
Major General Dick Olum, responsible for overseeing Uganda’s military efforts against the ADF in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), confirmed that six additional members of the squad were fatally shot during the operation on Tuesday.
The individuals who fell victim to the October attack have been identified as David Barlow, a British national, his wife Celia, who was South African, and their guide, Eric Ayai.
