Inside UPDF's hunt for ADF rebels in eastern DR Congo

The Ugandan army, UPDF on Friday afternoon carried out an attack on camps of Allied Democratic Forces in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The rebel group that in the late 1990s terrorised people in Kasese areas a few weeks ago carried out an attack on Tanzanian UN peace keepers under the MONUSCO killing at least 14 peace keepers whereas 50 others were left wounded.

Describing it as a surgical operation, the UPDF spokesperson Brig Richard Karemire explained that the attack was meant to act as a preemptive move against the ADF insurgents who are lurking in the thick forests in Eastern Congo.

“We recently received signals of ADF terrorists who have been building up in the DRC. They have conducted a number of massacres and we have also witnessed attacks on DRC army,” Brig. Karemire explained.

“They have been building up in Eastern DRC over the years. They have been recruiting, training and carrying out radicalisation even of women and children while working with foreign jihadists.”

Origin

In the 1990s, the ADF rebels terrorised the Rwenzori region in the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Kabarole for almost 10 years.

During the insurgency, the rebels are believed to have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced 100,000.

On June 8, 1998, the rebels raided Uganda Technical College Kichwamba in Kabarole district and burnt 80 students alive in three dormitories and abducted others.

In 2013, more than 10,000 refugees crossed into Uganda at the Busunga border post in Bundibugyo district.

They fled after rebels attacked the town of Kamango, 11 kilometres from the DRC-Uganda border.

A 2014 combat evaluation report by the then DR Congo’s army commander, Gen Didier Etumba Longila presented in meeting with his Ugandan counterpart then, Gen Katumba Wamala on May 7, 2014 in Beni, the rebel group had killed 217 DR Congo soldiers whereas 444 had been injured in a period of just five months.

The ADF was formed out of remnants of the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU) and Jamilu Mukulu was the group’s leader until a few years ago when he was captured by the Tanzanian forces before he was repatriated back to Uganda where he is currently detained.

They operate in North Kivu which borders other provinces including Ituri to the north and South Kivu to the South and has been a battle ground for a number of rival armed ethnic groups since 1998.

The province consists of three cities including; Goma, Butembo and Beni as well as six territories—Beni, Lubero, Masisi, Rutshuru.

Brig.Karemire recently said that despite being neutralized by the UPDF, FARDC(DRC) and MONUSCO forces, the ADF has in the recent years been regrouping and are currently estimated between 700 -900 fighters adding that they have resumed activity and causing mayhem in the area.

According the Ugandan army spokesperson, following information and signals of the intended active hostile activities against Uganda of recent, security was beefed up along the border with Congo.

Subsequently President  Museveni, Joseph Kabila and other leaders, have engaged in talks over the threat posed by the ADF insurgents not only to Uganda and DRC but the entire region at large and the need for a lasting solution to the problem.

He explained that it was proposed recently by authorities from the Kinshasa government that the two neighbouring countries plan and conduct limited joint operations against the growing menace of the insurgents.

“Our respective officials at senior command level in the military and the intelligence set about the work of thrashing out the details of this operation.” Karemire added.

“The surgical attack on ADF camps by the UPDF is a culmination of this process. The terrorists should know that they may only buy time but will be targeted wherever they live.”

The UPDF used long range artilleries including planes to strike the ADF positions in Eringeti in Beni territory, North Kivu province on Friday afternoon.