Employed by Ocean Heights Aviation Training Centre, an aviation school based in Entebbe, the pilots had been sent to South Kivu to evacuate personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Kampala.
According to Daily Monitor, the pilots were flying aboard an American-registered Cessna Caravan aircraft. As they approached Kavumu Airport in Bukavu at dusk, unknown assailants opened fire on the aircraft.
Despite the attack, the pilots managed to land the plane but were subsequently captured and taken to an undisclosed location.
The kidnappers later contacted the pilots' handlers in Kampala, demanding an undisclosed ransom for their release.
Reports indicate that one of the pilots, a South Sudanese national, succumbed to his gunshot wounds over the weekend, while the Ugandan pilot sustained injuries but was successfully repatriated for treatment.
On March 31, Colonel Chris Magezi, the acting spokesperson for the Ugandan military, clarified that the pilots were civilians, refuting the earlier claims that suggested they were soldiers.
"These are civilians operating commercial charter services. The government of Uganda is following up on this matter through relevant diplomatic channels but the UPDF is not involved at all. However, we are concerned that our fellow citiens have been harmed in some place and we will do eveyrthing required if we are asked to provide any assistance," he noted.
IGIHE
