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Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence & Veteran Affairs (MODVA) Lt Col Ronald Kakurungu
Two UPDF soldiers who went missing from their detachment on Sunday have been found dead a few kilometers inside South Sudan from the Uganda border, an army official has said.
The soldiers had reportedly travelled secretly to a border market in South Sudan to sell chicken.
The UPDF 5th division spokesperson Ceaser Olweny said the decomposing bodies of the soldiers were found inside South Sudan.
He identified the dead as WOII Flamino Amok and Sgt. Gilbert Ongeto.
“We carried out an extensive search in the areas of Maji-Moto up to the Uganda-South Sudan border till Tuesday when bodies were found,” he explained.
Olweny added that the each body bore two close range bullet wounds on the chests and the heads.
The incident comes barely a month after another two UPDF soldiers were shot dead in Kidepo National Game Park. Pte. Ahimbisibwe and Mathias Odongo were killed by suspected Sudanese poachers last month.
Olweny said mystery still surrounds the death of the four soldiers and that the army leadership had considered meeting with the local leaders in Kaabong before inviting their South Sudanese counterparts for a meeting.
Olweny described the situation as unfortunate urging the local leaders in South Sudan to establish the motives of the killing of UPDF soldiers.
He appealed to the communities along the border to ensure they co-exist so as to maintain the prevailing peace.
Meanwhile, the UPDF 3rd division leadership is investigating circumstances under which a local defence unit personnel (LDU) shot dead their detachment commander in Amudat district a fortnight ago.
Cpl. Siraje Ngeiwe, 30, was gunned down by an LDU only identified as Longora at Namusing detachment who later fled with others to Kenya with their guns including the commanders’ rifle to escape arrest.
Two UPDF soldiers found dead in South Sudan – New Vision Official