The Commander- in -Chief of the armed forces President Yoweri Museveni has clarified on a recent deployment of thousands of troops in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces-UPDF Commander of Land Forces Lt Gen.Kayanga Muhanga on Wednesday dispatched a large group of peace keeping troops to serve under the East African Community Regional Force(EACRP). The function happened at Bunagana border post in Kisoro distict.
Lt Gen. Muhanga explained that the EACRP does not attack hostilities but implement peace keeping as agreed by EAC heads of State.
“The EACRF is not going to attack the belligerents there but it is going to witness and ensure the implementation of the decisions that were taken between the Heads of States meetings,” the CLF stated on Wednesday
In a statement released on Thursday, President Museveni also explains circumstances under which 1000 troops were sent to Bunagana and Rushturu in North Kivu Province in Congo.
The President dismissed media reports that the soldiers were sent to attack M-23 rebels which is currently involved in peace talks with the government of Congo. He explained that the UPDF troops are on a mission to occupy and maintain peace at some areas that M-23 handed over to the EACRP while being a non -partisan force.
“Contrary to what I saw on Aljazera, Daily Vision and others reporting,we are not going to ‘battle’, ‘fight’etc the M-23 .The Congo government and the M-23, have agreed to a peace plan, which involves cessation of hostilities (fighting), withdrawal of the M-23 from some of the specified areas they had captured to other areas that have been agreed upon, etc,” Museveni said.
He added: “Our initial mission, therefore, is to occupy some of the positions that the M-23 has handed over to the East African Force as a neutral force, instead of the Congolese army which the M-23 see as enemies or armed opponents in their internal politics. We are, therefore, going to the Bunagana–Rutshuru area, not in order to fight the M-23, but to act as a neutral force as the Congolese use the time to sort out their political problems.”
He also encouraged the ongoing peace talks between the M23 rebels and the DRC government, noting that they to ensure that the problem is solved politically for peace to return to eastern DRC.
The President stated that unless the peace keeping troops are attacked fighting will not occur. He however stated that fighting may occur if one of the non state groups declines peace under reasonable conditions.
“Fighting may come later if one of the non-state armed groups does not accept peace on what we all regard as reasonable conditions. The East African authority (the Heads of State) would, then, have to mandate us to fight if one of the stake-holders refuses to implement the peace agreement we have agreed on.”
He stated further: ” The East African Authority (Heads of State) would then , have to mandate us to fight if one of the stake holders refuses to implement the peace agreement we agreed on”
On the ongoing Operation Shujaa,the president explained that the UPDF deployment in Eastern DRC jointly with the Congolese army under Operation Shujaa that he led to peace and degradation of the Allied Democratic Forces(ADF) rebel groups.
He explained that in this regard, UPDF is deployed in the areas of Beni, Virunga (Biruunga) National Park, Semuliki, Mbooga and areas of Ituri.
The other year, we deployed our troops with the permission of the Congo Government to fight the ADF terrorists in the areas od Beni,Virunga,(Biruunga) National Park, Semiliki, Mbooga and areas of Ituri. With our Congolese brothers and sisters, we have seriously degraded ADF, so much that, most of them, the remnants, are running towards Mambasa-Komanda areas, quite far from the border.”
He said that the Congolese farmers are now able to harvest their Cocoa for the first time, in many years unlike before when it was being harvested by ADF rebels.
“ There is peace where we have operated.”
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