DRC: extension of joint military operation with Uganda in the East

One of the joint operations between the Ugandan and Congolese armies in Virunga National Park in the DRC, December 14, 2021. © SEBASTIEN KITSA MUSAYI/AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Launched on November 30, 2021, the military operation carried out jointly by the Congolese and Ugandan armies in eastern DRC has been extended.

The extension act was signed on Wednesday June 1 in the Ugandan town of Fort Portal in the South West.

The two military forces are fighting against armed groups based in Congolese territory, particularly against the ADF, a rebel movement of Ugandan origin which, according to the UN, killed more than 1,300 civilians last year.

Advertising

Read more

With our correspondent in Kinshasa,

With this extension of the joint operation, Kinshasa and Kampala say they want to put an end to the ADF.

To mark their good collaboration, the two armies shared a sports activity in the streets of Fort Portal.

The Congolese and Ugandan soldiers sweating side by side wanted to show that they are united against the ADF, a military source told RFI.

On Wednesday, the time was no longer for talks.

Everything was already ready when the Congolese delegation arrived.

Extension recorded, documents signed, the two armies will continue their action for a period that has not been revealed.

The end of this operation is conditioned by the evolution of the situation on the ground and by the will of the two heads of state, confided a senior officer, present at the ceremony.

For this third phase, the two forces hope for greater support from the population, even if in the DRC, more and more voices are being raised to demand more transparency and the proper conduct of this operation.

In its latest report on the ADF, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC drew the authorities' attention in particular to activities on the ground.

He noted, for example, that in Katibombo and Buisegha, in Beni territory, Ugandan soldiers had occupied two schools from December 3 to 7, 2021 where they allegedly stored ammunition, leading to the suspension of classes for students.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

• ground floor

• Uganda