Bogoro was a strategically important town on the road between Bunia and the border with Uganda,[1] with a UPC military camp in the middle of the town.[3][3] The attack aimed to drive the UPC from Bogoro, but it also appeared to be a "reprisal operation against the Hema civilian population".[5] It was part of a plan by Lendu and Ngiti rebels to attack predominantly Hema villages in preparation for an assault on Bunia.[3]