Twenty people including three soldiers were killed in an attack on an army post in Uganda close to its north-western border with Democratic Republic of Congo, said a military spokesman on Tuesday.

The attack occurred a few kilometers (miles) from the northern edge of the Albertine rift basin where Uganda's oilfields are found and operated by France's Total, China's CNOOC and Britain's Tullow Oil, however, they were not attacked during this incident.

According to Deputy Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Deo Akiiki, around 80 raiders including members of Congolese militias carried out the March 6 attack armed with bows, arrows, machetes and spears.

The Lieutenant said their intention was to steal guns.

He is quoted saying that the Ugandan army had stepped up border patrols in response to last week's attack.

The country's eastern border controlled loosely by Congolese authorities has long been plagued by insecurity with fighting between rival militias seeking to exploit patches of territory and mineral and other resources riches often spilling into Uganda.