Ugandan military says over 100 rebels killed in DRC

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Ugandan military on Monday said that more than 100 rebels have been killed in airstrikes on their 8 camps in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ronald Kakurungo, Uganda Peoples Defence Force's spokesman, told Anadolu Agency on phone that they have launched a joint operation with the Congolese army to deal with Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.

The operation started a few days after the rebels killed 14 UN peacekeepers, including 5 Congolese soldiers, and injured over 50 peacekeepers.

“We launched a joint operation on December 22. The Ugandan army operates from within Uganda while DRC army fights the rebels from inside Congo, Kakurungo said.

He said that the Ugandan forces has been carrying out airstrikes and using artillery from the border district of Bundibugyo.

“Through intelligence and coordination with the DRC army we can confirm that 8 bases of ADF rebels have been destroyed and over 100 rebels killed. The army in DRC is pursuing the rebels who survived the airstrikes,” said Kakurungo.

Lieutenant Thomas Muhindo, Congolese security officer in eastern DRC, also said the airstrikes and long artillery by Ugandan army had destroyed the ADF bases.

He said the joint operation was agreed on intelligence reports that the rebels were planning to attack Uganda.

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group based in the country’s east, is made up of several groups opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. They have been active in the east since 1995 and have been blamed for the killings of hundreds of civilians around Beni.

The ADF rebels have left their political demands behind as they are mostly involved in trafficking minerals in the country’s gold-rich east.

On Aug. 4, Museveni and his Congolese counterpart agreed to establish military cooperation and exchange information in the fight against the ADF.