By Frank Kamuntu
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has dismissed claims by international media that Uganda deployed troops to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to support the Congolese government in fighting the M23 rebels.
In a statement, Museveni clarified that Uganda’s military presence in the DRC is solely focused on combating the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a terrorist group responsible for numerous attacks in both Uganda and Congo. He described reports by Al Jazeera alleging Uganda’s involvement against M23 as “misinformation.”
Museveni explained that Uganda’s engagement in DRC began four years ago when President Félix Tshisekedi accepted Uganda’s long-standing request to allow joint military operations against the ADF.
“We were very happy for H.E Tshisekedi to do this, and it has helped the Congolese citizens in the area. They have gone back to their villages, and the Ugandans are no longer being killed,” Museveni stated.
He cited past ADF-related attacks, including the assassinations of religious leaders and government officials such as Joan Kagezi and Gen. Katumba Wamala’s daughter, as evidence of the militant threat that necessitated Uganda’s intervention.
Over time, Museveni noted, Uganda’s role in the region expanded to include two additional tasks:
- Securing the Kasindi-Beni-Butembo Road – A crucial infrastructure project jointly funded by Uganda and DRC.
- Participation in the East African Regional Force – Deployed to maintain peace by separating the M23 fighters and the Congolese army along key roads in eastern DRC.
However, Museveni pointed out that the Congolese government later expelled the East African Regional Force, arguing that it had failed to fight M23. He clarified that this was never the mission of the regional force, which remained neutral in the conflict between Kinshasa and M23.
Following the withdrawal of the East African Force, Uganda remained in DRC with a focus on its original objectives: eliminating the ADF and securing infrastructure projects. With rising insecurity in the region, Museveni revealed that Uganda obtained permission from the Congolese government to extend its deployment to Lubero (near Butembo) and Bunia.
“Our presence in Congo, therefore, has nothing to do with fighting the M23 rebels,” Museveni reaffirmed.
The President reiterated Uganda’s position that the ongoing conflict between the Congolese government and M23 should be resolved through negotiations rather than military action.
“Right from the beginning, our advice to the involved parties in the Congo government-M23 conflict was negotiations. The history of that conflict is well known, and the solutions are there,” he said, pointing to mediation efforts led by the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Therefore, Museveni’s statement emphasizes that Uganda’s primary focus remains counterterrorism and regional stability. However, as tensions continue to rise in eastern Congo, Uganda’s role in the broader conflict remains a subject of regional and international scrutiny.
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