Uganda hands over 34 DRC nationals rescued from ADF
The UPDF commander of Land Forces Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga (L) addresses the 34 Congolese ADF rebel abductees before being handed over to Congo government on Saturday in Fort Portal. Photo | ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- The abductees, who included women, and children, were handed over by the UPDF Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, to the FARDC forces led by Brig Gen Gbiagolo Ngondo, the commander of Antoine Sector.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on Saturday handed over 34 Congolese nationals whom it rescued from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
The 34 were rescued during the ongoing operation against ADF dubbed Operation Shujaa in Eastern Congo.
The abductees, who included women, and children, were handed over by the UPDF Commander of Land Forces, Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, to the FARDC forces led by Brig Gen Gbiagolo Ngondo Antoine, the Sector Commander who also doubles as second in command in the army of FARDC.
The hand-over event took place at Muhooti Barracks in Fort Portal City under tight security.
The commander of Operation Shujja, Maj Gen Dick Olum, said: “When we got them, they told us that they had been abducted by ADF rebels. They were in hard-to-reach places and we brought them by helicopter.”
He also revealed that the ADF rebels captured during recent attacks on Ntoroko District are still in the rehabilitation centre in Uganda.
UPDF together with the Congolese army (FARDC) have since November 2021 been conducting a joint operation in eastern Congo where a number ADF rebel camps have been destroyed while other rebels have surrendered. Brig Gen Gbiagolo, while receiving the abductees, said they would reunite them with their families.
On the progress of Operation Shujaa, Gen Muhanga said in the last 14 months, ADF rebels have been flushed out in most of their strongholds.
Operational gains
“It’s now 14 months of operation and we have achieved a lot in the areas where we are operating from and civilians have returned to their homes, schools, churches are open and business is normal. We have disrupted ADF rebels from getting logistics and they are starving and many of them were either killed or captured,” he said.
Gen Muhanga also revealed that both FARDC and UPDF forces on Saturday reviewed the progress of Operation Shujaa.
Background
In December, ADF rebels crossed from DR Congo on River Semuliki and attacked Bweramule Sub-county, Ntoroko District, where they killed four people, including a UPDF soldier. But they were repulsed by UPDF soldiers, with many killed or captured during the operation.
