At least two Ugandan fishermen were killed, one injured and six others remain missing after a group of armed Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) militiamen carried out attacks at a common border lake shared by the two neighboring countries on Saturday, Xinhua reported citing a top police official.
Deo Obura, the Albertine region police commander, told Xinhua by telephone that armed Congolese Lendu militiamen carried out the attack at the disputed waters on Lake Albert, located at the Uganda and DRC common border.
He said the deceased, injured and missing fishermen were from Kaiso landing site in the mid-western district of Hoima, which hosts thousands of Congolese refugees.
"It is true they (Congolese Lendu militia) attacked yesterday. Two people were shot dead and their bodies recovered. The injured is admitted at Hoima hospital," said Obura.
"Some more 5-6 persons are unaccounted for. We don't know whether they were killed or abducted," he said.
"We hear they (militia) protect their Congo waters from illegal fishing. They have been accusing our people of entering their waters without their permission."
Local media on Sunday put the death toll at seven fishermen.
The Saturday attack comes barely five days after the same militia attacked and cut into pieces five Ugandan fishermen on the same lake, before dumping their bodies in the waters, according to local media.
Obura said following the two deadly incidents, Ugandan fishermen have been planning to carry retaliatory attacks.
"I have just been meeting the community now. They were also trying to organize to attack the Congolese. But we have talked and calmed them down. We hope they will listen," said Obura.
Authorities in Kampala and their Kinshasa counterparts have in the past agreed to conduct joint operations by fisheries and security officials to prevent clashes and disagreements over fishing in the disputed area, which both countries claim ownership.
"There have been a lot of interventions at the high level. The government has been conducting a lot of meetings with the neighboring country to stop such kind of hostilities," said Obura.
"If our people are wrong better they be arrested and produced in courts of law than shooting and killing them like that. We have encouraged our people to try to as much as possible to avoid crossing to their hostile territory," he said.
"We pray they listen to us as government also speeds up the (peace) dialogues with Congo."