The move came as the M23 armed group has been seizing territory further south in the neighboring North and South Kivu provinces.
"Working with our Congolese counterparts, Uganda sent troops to Bunia and the forces of the two countries have taken control of the security situation to stop further killings," Uganda's Foreign Minister Henry Oryem said.
Bunia is the capital of Ituri province, where Uganda already had thousands of troops under an agreement with Kinshasa.
They operate alongside DRC forces against the Allied Democratic Forces, which has been linked to the Islamic State group, and tribal militias.
Oryem said the deployment aimed to "deal with armed elements including the remnants of Allied Democratic Forces who may still be active in areas under our cooperation agreement".
Oryem and the defense ministry declined to give the exact number of Ugandan troops deployed in Bunia or say whether the country planned to send additional troops to the city.
Ugandan military spokesman Felix Kulayigye said the country had deployed along with DRC forces in "joint operations to save lives" after "massacres" by local militias.
But in the highly complex dynamics of the region, Uganda has also been accused, by UN experts and others, of working against Congolese interests by supporting the M23 and controlling some of the region's valuable mining interests. Uganda has strongly denied the accusations.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/ugandan-drc-troops-secure-eastern-congolese-city-bunia-minister
