Museveni meets UPDF, and DRC senior army officers over ADF

Kampala, Uganda |  THE IDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met with senior army officers from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) at State House Entebbe.

During the meeting, President Museveni who is also the Commander In Chief of UPDF and the senior army officers reviewed the progress of Operation Shujaa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The meeting is part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to jointly fight the Allied Democratic Forces rebels in Eastern DRC.

The UPDF delegation was led by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi whereas the FARDC side was led by the Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Christian Tshiwewe Songesha.

President Museveni advised the Senior officers to ensure that the forces were close and friendly to the people if they were to win against the hostile forces.

“The army must always be close to the people. You cannot fight a war without the support of the population,” Gen. Museveni said.

“That is why the politics and discipline of the army must be right because otherwise if people are angry with you, even if you fight well, in the end, you will lose,” he added.

Gen. Mbadi said the meeting came at a critical stage that requires better decision-making by the joint forces.