On Wednesday December 28, 2022 South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit sent off troops belonging to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces, SSPDF, who went to join the Eastern African Community Regional Force, EACRF in a peacekeeping mission in Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In his keynote address, President Kiir urged South Sudan’s soldiers to observe human rights and protection of citizens in DRC.
“This deployment is significant and urgent as it is the first mission of our army outside the country and we can use this opportunity to change our image positively. I want you to keep order, do not carry out atrocities, respect and protect the citizens there” President Kiir reiterated.
The President also told the forces to unite as one army in order to discharge their mandate professionally. “You are going there as army of the nation, not tribal army so you must work together as one army” The President also said.
The country’s Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Angelina Teny said this is an opportunity for the International Community to see the importance of the South Sudan forces in the region. “This is the first mission; South Sudan has undertaken in restoring regional peace. Hence, it is an opportunity for International Community to see the importance of our forces in the region.” Angelina said.
The seven countries of the East African Community which the DRC joined this year, agreed in April to set up a joint force to fight militia groups in the Eastern Part of DRC to end decades of bloodshed there. Each country in the region is required to contribute a specific number of fighters to battle the many rebel groups operating in the area should they refuse to lay down their arms and join an ongoing Nairobi peace process.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in November deployed its contingent in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo under the EARF, joining regional peers in the ongoing efforts to pacify the war-torn area.
South Sudan’s deployment in DRC brings the number of regional countries already deployed there to four, after Burundi and Kenya, which went first and were later joined by Uganda.
Uganda already has forces in the eastern DRC where they have for a year been fighting the Allied Democratic Force rebels, a Ugandan rebel group with links that the Ugandan government accuses of bomb attacks and assassinations on its soil. The war against the ADF has been codenamed Operation Shujaa.
Meanwhile as Shujaa is continuing, the Ugandan security forces have burst a racket of ADF operatives in the country. Prior to the festive season, several attacks were carried out on security installments on the outskirts of the Capital City. Several police stations were raided, and policemen killed for what the Ugandan government has come out to say, was to acquire guns. The Uganda Police Force (UPF) have since launched counter terror operations with sister security organs to prevent, disrupt and dismantle terror cells and activities of other hostile groups with violent ideologies, according to a statement released on Christmas Day. “We pledge to continue aggressively pursuing all remnants to these acts of violence and hostility, in the country, and ensure they are brought to book. For those who think they were misled, we encourage them to surrender or abandon such hostile attacks against Ugandans and visitors in the country,” the statement signed by police spokesperson Fred Enanga reads in part.
The statement was released following a raid on a terror cell in Masaka City, Central Uganda. The statement indicated that the police Flying squad and Crime Intelligence squads, in close coordination with the territorial teams in Masaka city, dismantled yet another terror cell in Nyendo-Masaka, where they further arrested its ring leader and recovered an assortment of guns and other exhibits linking the suspects to rebel activity. “This is the third successful counter terror operation within two weeks, that follows the earlier ones conducted in Maganjo and Matugga. So far 3 highly linked ADF suspects have been arrested, two killed during the counter-strike in Matugga, 1 PK Machine gun, 9 guns and an assortment of other exhibits were recovered,” the police stated.
“The task team built on the intelligence that it obtained from the earlier ADF suspects, who were arrested and managed to track down, a one Katende Ali alias Mao, an ADF commander of the Nyendo cell in Masaka City. We have further established, that he was part of the group, which attacked Busika Police Station on the 31,10.2022, where 3 police officers namely; D/IP Bagaluka Alex, PC Ongol Moses, and PC Odama Stephen, were killed in the line of duty. The suspects were also behind the attack and murder of two civilians namely; Kalyango Ibra and Nsubuga Peter, at Kasule Ayanguwa village, Budde Sub County in Butambala district”, Enanga further wrote.
Police say they have also obtained information on the identities and descriptions of the other ADF remnants, still at large, who were trying to reconstitute and establish operational cells in Wakiso District and Masaka city.
According to Museveni, having secured support and permission from the government of the DRC to carry out operations in the neighbouring country where the ADF have been hiding, the UPDF now has capacity to look for ADF rebels wherever they are. “I’m telling you wherever you are, we shall get them, we have been getting information about them. We even know their names; we are looking for them. There is no chance of these people surviving; maybe they didn’t know the capacity of the UPDF, there is no where we can’t reach. The only option is for these people to surrender, get out there and either surrender to the Congo army or to our units, which are there or even the UN but get out or you will die,” Museveni said.
The President assured the country that there is no security threat that can’t be dealt with. He said all Ugandans need to do is to be vigilant and report any threats to the nearest security forces for quick action.
“I want to assure Ugandans that please just be vigilant because when you are vigilant, the criminals have signs; connect with the security forces the rest will be easy. If you have blood pressure, go for treatment and don’t get a heart attack of security; there will be no insecurity in Uganda; be vigilant the rest will be very easy,” Museveni said.
The President gave account of all the cases of insecurity that have gripped the country in the recent past. He said most of those who have been involved in attacks on security forces have either been killed or are in jail awaiting their time in court.
On the recent incursion of suspected ADF rebels in Ntoroko district, Museveni said of the 40 fighters who are said to have crossed to Uganda, 21 were killed while 15 were captured alive.
