Overthrow of CAR regime spells uncertainty in pursuit of Kony
Seleka rebels at a village in Central African Republic early this year. The fighters toppled the Bangui government at the weekend. AFP PHOTO
What you need to know:
UPDF soldiers in Central Africa Republic are uncertain whether the new regime will allow them in the country.
KAMPALA
The hunt for Lord’s Resistance Army rebels in the Central African Republic is uncertain after rebels, who had previously told Ugandan and South African forces to get out of the country, captured power on Sunday.
The Ugandan troops are deployed in the eastern part of the CAR under a mandate of the African Union to hunt the LRA rebels while South Africans were sent to Bangui under a bilateral agreement with the former government to protect deposed president, Francois Bozize.
Brig. Dick Olum, the commander of the African Union force hunting LRA and its elusive leader, Joseph Kony, told the Daily Monitor yesterday Ugandan troops would withdraw if the military junta now in control in Bangui orders them out of CAR.
He, however, said they had not received any communication from the Seleka rebels about the presence of at least 2,000 Ugandan forces. “It’s true that last year Seleka coalition said they didn’t want any foreign troops in their country. But we have not heard anything from them ever since they captured power. UPDF is in CAR under the auspices of African Union and if they give us any directive, we will leave,” he said.
The Seleka rebels, who captured power on Sunday, killed 13 and injured 27 South African soldiers during a pitched battle lasting several hours as they defended their base, President Zuma told journalists in Johannesburg yesterday.
Two hundred South African troops had been deployed in the CAR capital from where Mr Bozize is confirmed to have fled to Cameroon. If UPDF is forced to withdraw, it is feared the LRA might step up abductions, recruiting and training fighters and resume attacks which had been reduced because of constant pressure from the Ugandan forces. “LRA will celebrate if we get out. They will hold a party,” Brig. Olum said.
Main bases
The UPDF main bases are in Djema and Obo, in the far-eastern parts of the country near the confluence of the border between Uganda, South Sudan and DR Congo, but they recently moved north east of the country in pursuit of LRA in the area.
There is hardly any state presence or any government services and people still live as hunters and gatherers in the areas of UPDF operations.
France, the former colonial master of the CAR, has a number of companies mining for uranium but refused to protect Mr Bozize despite having 250 troops stationed there. AFP reported that France has sent 300 more troops to beef up protection for its 1,250 nationals in the country.
The CAR is three times the size of Uganda but with an estimated population of 4.5 million people, most of whom live in conditions of extreme deprivation. The country has suffered a number of rebellions since independence in 1960.
