Kampala, (UG):- Col David Byaruhanga, the Commanding Officer of the UPDF 409 Brigade at Bondo Army Barracks in Arua District, has been confirmed dead after succumbing to injuries sustained on the battlefield against Lendu militants in Famaki, Eastern DR Congo.
Col Byaruhanga’s death was Friday confirmed by the 4th Infantry Division Public Information Officer, Capt David Kamya who said; “I have got a confirmation from our Division Commander (Major General Felix Busizoori) that death has taken our own senior officer, Col David Byaruhanga.”
Capt Kamya added that the heroic Byaruhanga passed away at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala, where he had been receiving medical treatment. “He died as a hero, and we will always remember him,” Kamya added, eulogizing the late officer.
Col Byaruhanga’s death is a significant blow to the 4th Infantry Division and the entire UPDF fraternity as he was instrumental in implementing Presidential Executive Order No. 3 to curb the illegal charcoal trade in the Acholi sub-region.
He also played a key role in pacifying Karamoja during operations against the Karacuna warriors.
In 2022, Col Byaruhanga served as a Commander for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) before his appointment in Arua District.
The UPDF statement, released later on Friday, without revealing the identity of the fatality reported that the Ugandan army had lost just one soldier and injured four others in the fierce battle.
But sources in Famaki say hundreds of UPDF soldiers were also killed in return, and that the Ugandan army chose not to report an alarming figure on their side.
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