Fort Portal intensifies night patrols after foiled weekend attacks
Fort Portal deputy resident city commissioner Emmanuel Businge confirmed that joint security forces have increased foot and motorised patrols across the city and its outskirts to ensure peace and stability return after the incidents.
UPDF soldiers at one of the scenes where assailants were killed from near Canon Apollo PTC gate. (Photo by Jonan Tusingwire)
________________
Security authorities in Fort Portal city have intensified night patrols and surveillance following coordinated attacks on November 1, 2025, in parts of the Rwenzori region.
Fort Portal deputy resident city commissioner Emmanuel Businge confirmed that joint security forces have increased foot and motorised patrols across the city and its outskirts to ensure peace and stability return after the incidents.
“We have intensified both day and night patrols in all divisions of the city. The situation is calm now, and we want to assure the public that security has been restored,” the deputy RCC said in an interview on Sunday (November 2).
The move follows armed assailants targeting security installations in Fort Portal, Bundibugyo, and Kasese districts during the early hours of Saturday. Security forces responded swiftly, killing several attackers and arresting others believed to be part of the same group.
UPDF spokesman Brig Gen. Felix Kulayigye, in a statement, said the series of coordinated raids was carried out by persons he termed as "hostile elements attempting to destabilise security installations and provoke unrest in the region".
The attackers, whom Kulayigye said used submachine guns and machetes, attacked Kasese and Lugendabara Police posts in Kasese district, UPDF positions at Malindi and Kakuka in Bundibugyo, plus Canon Apollo School in Fort Portal.
Deputy RCC Businge said all major entry and exit routes, including the Fort Portal–Bundibugyo and Fort Portal–Kasese highways, are under tight surveillance.
“We are working closely with the Uganda Police Force and the UPDF to maintain high visibility in the community. Our aim is to make sure residents feel safe and confident as life returns to normal,” he added.
Businge also called on residents to remain calm but vigilant, urging them to report any suspicious individuals or activities to nearby police posts.
“We appeal to the public to continue cooperating with security agencies. These operations are for their safety,” the deputy RCC emphasised.
Return to normalcy
By Sunday evening, businesses in Fort Portal North Division had reopened and public transport resumed regular operations.
Local leaders praised the swift response of the security forces, noting it prevented what could have been a larger tragedy. One civilian woman in Malindi was killed during the attack, while one soldier was killed in action.
According to the UPDF, operations are ongoing to apprehend the assailants who fled.