Public cautioned against attacking UPDF troops in DRC

Rutshuru, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of the public, especially the youth, have been cautioned against attacking Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers deployed under operation Shujaa in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The caution was sounded on Friday by Macaire Sivikunula Mwendivwa, the head of Bapère sector, Lubero territory, North Kivu province.

Mwendivwa’s caution follows an attack against UPDF and Armed Forces of the DR Congo (FARDC) soldiers on Tuesday this week along Butembo-Mangurejipa section in Lubero.  A group of armed youth attacked the convoy but without success. In a gun fire exchange, one of the attackers was killed.

In the late hours of the same day, another UPDF-FARDC convoy was again attacked by armed youth.  The same night, a FARDC position was attacked in Kukunguta in Bulengera. One of the attackers was also killed.

Mwendivwa says that it is high time for the public to know that presence of Ugandan soldiers in the area is one of the solutions to the ordeal that the locals have been experiencing since the presence of the Allied Democratic Republic of Congo (ADF) rebels about a month ago. He stresses that the soldiers are engaged in the protection of civilians and the fight against armed groups adding that they should not be considered enemies or targeted.

“We received the UPDF troops. It is for a very special mission. They come to support the FARDC against the ADF. Now we must end this adventure. I believe that you know the impact of the support of the UPDF in the part of Beni today in Mughalika and in Karuruma,” said the head of the Bapere sector. We are farmers, we need to return to our fields and to our villages, that’s what matters to us,” says Sivikunula.

Mwendivwa however accuses a section of the locals for politicizing the support of UPDF soldiers to the FARDC. “ I tell my young brothers from Butembo that here we are living a sad experience of the presence of these ADF. Try to help us. I don’t see the political story behind the presence of the ADF. For us what matters is that we can remove this snake (ADF), we are very poorly positioned today seeing our populations moving en masse. They will starve. Let this snake be taken away from us,” adds Mwendivwa.

Launched in November 2021, Operation Shujaa  (operation of the brave)  is an ongoing military offensive conducted by UPDF and FARDC soldiers against insurgent forces in Kivu and Ituri, mainly Islamic State (IS) affiliates and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The operation has resulted in significant losses for the targeted rebel forces and substantially reduced their activity.

Recently, the United States Group of Experts released a report implicating Uganda of supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels to fight against the DR Congo government in North Kivu province. This left some of the Congolese citizens and political leaders angry. But Uganda strongly refuted the claims.

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