News made rounds on Tuesday last week 30th November indicating how Uganda’s Army the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had launched massive air strikes and ground assaults on the Allied Defence Forces (ADF) a rebel group formed over 20 years ago based in the covered forests of Eastern Congo.
According to available information, a total of 10,000 soldiers made their way to the other side of the boarder in Congo to face the enemy head to head in conjunction with the Congolese army the Armed Forces of The Democratic Republic of Congo (AFDRC) after presidents of both countries agreed on the operations.
In an interview at the end of last week, Maj Gen Kayanja Muhanga who commands the Mountain boarder Division brigade who is also commanding the operations dubbed ‘Shujaa’ revealed that the operations are a joint effort of both countries but no much was revealed in his interview.
However, just like other Ugandans have been asking several questions concerning the operations, the Forum for Democratic Forces (FDC) during it’s weekly press briefing at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi has asked government to come up with an explainer on the following questions.
The deployment and involvement of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces in Congo in guise to fight the rebel outfit of the Allied Democratic Forces
Points to note
FDC demands answers to the following
Why are we fighting in DRC?
Who is financing this war? Is it Ugandan taxpayers, is it DRC government, is it East African Community, United Nations (UN) or other interested parties? The regime should come out very clear on this
The people we are fighting in Congo are fellow Ugandans, have we failed on all other avenues to deal with the situation apart from fighting?
Uganda has been at the forefront of helping other countries like Samalia, South Sudan, Burundi and DRC itself to help in the process to end their internal wars through dialogue, why can’t we use the same measures to end our internal grievances with our own people?
The Kisangani scandal of Ten Billion Dollars (10b dollars) slapped on Ugandans far back between 1998-2003 should serve as a lesson to MR. Musevenis’ government, Uganda should not go back to the same now or a repeat of the in future. As a country, we must avoid reckless loss of lives and property which come with heavy financial and diplomatic complications. Commanders of such Operations should take heed because today the whole world is watching.
It has become a habit for Ugandans to only receive apologies after errors, yet it’s a constitutional requirement for the president to inform Parliament in case there is need to deploy our army out of the country. UPDF should clear out the operation with parliament as per the Ugandan constitution because; this is a legal requirement before foreign deployment of Ugandan troops are made.
The operations came at the heels of the Twin bombs that rocked Uganda’s capital last month and security attributed the attacks to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) despite Islamic State claiming responsibility.