During the night, about 2,000 Ugandan troops seized positions around Bunia and at around 6 AM local time, began a heavy bombardment of UPC (Congolese Patriotic Union) positions. Unidentified troops looted a UN office and a warehouse storing food provided by the World Food Program. By 6 PM, the fighting was over and the Ugandans had won. 

The Ugandans now plan to stay in the town (about 80 km from the Ugandan border) to help the work of a joint Congolese-Ugandan peace committee in the region. The UPC are allies of the largest rebel group, the Rwanda-supported Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-Goma). In January, Kampala agreed to pull out all its troops from northeastern Congo by March 20.