Police have announced that 16 suspects belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, have been apprehended in Mityana District in Central Uganda.
The ADF is a rebel group founded in Uganda that has spread to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The group, which has been labeled a terrorist organisation, has been linked to many attacks in eastern DRC and Uganda in recent months, prompting Kampala and Kinshasa to organise a collaborative effort to flush out the rebels.
A joint Counter Terrorism Security Task Force tracked the suspects, who were discovered hiding at the home of one of those arrested.
Following a report that one of the suspects was using his residence as a hub for coordinating ADF activities, they were apprehended.
Police spokesman Fred Enanga said detectives discovered military attire, boots, electronic gadgets, and two mobile phones from the suspect’s house during a press conference on Monday at the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.
The accused were sent to the Kireka Police Special Investigations Department.
Meanwhile, a suspect related to the Luweero ADF terror cell was apprehended last week, according to authorities. As he departed Luweero, the suspect was apprehended in Kampala.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces discovered a potential ADF training center in Kikubajinja zone, Luweero Town Council, roughly 10 kilometers off the Kampala-Gulu highway, last week.
Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, confirmed the arrest of three suspects suspected of being involved in subversive operations.
Preliminary investigations reveal that one of the suspects came to Kampala in January in search of work and was enticed into the organisation, according to Enanga.
“We have evidence that there are cells which recruit members into the rebel ranks…we are monitoring them,” he said.