Uganda will seek permission from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to expand the operational area of the two countries’ joint pursuit of the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), implying that the hunt may be extended.
However, President Yoweri Museveni‘s decision to criticise former Congolese President Joseph Kabila‘s laxity in dealing with the terrorist group in the past sparked outrage this week.
Former President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kabila labelled Museveni an expansionist and destabiliser.
President Museveni, who has repeatedly praised Kabila’s successor Felix Tshisekedi‘s decision to allow the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to operate in the DRC since November 2021, said on July 13 that Uganda had enough troops to hunt down the rebels up to Mbandaka, outside the operation area, if the Congo government allowed it, while also guarding its rear in Uganda.
One of the contentious issues raised in the past has been the expansion of Operation Shujaa’s operational territory, as well as whether to increase the number of boots on the ground.
According to sources familiar with the discussions at the meetings, President Tshisekedi, whom Museveni describes as more cooperative than his predecessor, has been hesitant to allow it due to pressure from Kinshasa officials.
Nonetheless, Museveni’s praise for his successor and a pledge to go further against the ADF within the Congo have alarmed Kabila.
Kabila dismissed Museveni’s “gratuitous false accusations” aimed at “distracting and dividing the Congolese people” this week through his spokesperson, Barbara Nzimbi.
Ms Nzimbi went on to say that Kabila’s government, which was the first to recognise the ADF as a terrorist organisation, had kept the UN and the international community up to date on the rebels’ atrocities.
Museveni stated that his government has been able to keep the ADF out of Uganda since their 2007 defeat in Semliki Valley by relying on a strong army, a relatively stronger intelligence service, and political stability.
“The ADF was present in Congo (after 2007).” Despite their slow growth, the (DR) Congo Government of HE Kabila, with the support of some regional and international actors, granted them free tenancy in North Kivu and Ituri provinces,” Museveni said.
Vested Interest
The Ugandan leader claimed that Kabila ignored the ADF because they served as a buffer against Rwanda and Uganda, which he initially accused of having vested interests in the country’s eastern regions. Previously, the ADF did not engage the Congolese army, FARDC, until 2013, when they began attacking them, forcing the soldiers to fight back.
The rebels, he added, then started mining gold, selling timber, harvesting people’s cocoa, collecting taxes, and extorting people, all of which was on account of Kinshasa not accepting assistance to deal with the group when neither they nor the UN had the capacity.
Ferdinand Kambere, deputy secretary-general of Kabila’s PPRD party, scoffed at Museveni’s remarks, saying the Ugandan president simply wants to be Kinshasa’s puppet.
“Museveni is lying. He is using trickery. He is afraid because if the Tshisekedi regime leaves, he wants the next president to keep the UPDF in the DRC. He wants to keep his army in Congo, even with the next president, on the pretext that they are looking for Islamists,” he said.
During Operation Shujaa, rebel camps were bombed from the air, and infantry fighting forced the rebels to flee deeper into the DRC, killing and looting along the way.
They are now terrorising rural residents, and unarmed civilians, and moving in smaller groups away from the frontlines.
According to UPDF Spokesperson Brigadier Felix Kulayigye, the country will seek permission to pursue the rebels beyond the current area of operation known as the Death Triangle in its attempt to eliminate them.
The ADF rebels have reportedly moved out of Sector Three of the operation, which runs from Kasindi to Mwenda all the way to Beni and moved beyond the Beni-Eringeti-Komanda-Bunya Road, where they have broken into smaller groups that they hope are not easy to see, with some individuals hiding in the trading centres.
Brig Kulayigye stated that this decision, as well as many others, will be discussed at the upcoming war review by security chiefs from both countries, which takes place every two months.
“The operation is reviewed on a regular basis, primarily to examine the process and extent of success achieved within a specific time frame.” “And without a doubt, our wish would be to achieve our ultimate goal of eliminating the rebels,” he said.
The ADF is expanding operations thanks to funding from Islamic State, according to a UN team of experts, and joint operations by the Congolese and Ugandan armies are not producing much.
When asked if the nation had made an official request to Kinshasa, Brig Kulayigye responded, “What was the primary goal of this mission? The wish we still harbour is to completely destroy the ADF and pursue them wherever they flee.
The commander-in-chief, President Museveni, is reportedly talking to his Congolese counterpart about the situation diplomatically, according to a source at the Ugandan Ministry of Defence.
Entebbe reported on Wednesday that Kanku Shiku, a special adviser to President Tshisekedi, and Mbusa Nyamwisi, the DRC State Minister for Regional Integration, had given Museveni “a special message” from Tshisekedi.
