Be on high alert for ADF bombs – Kasese leaders
Members of the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) position themselves on the Ugandan side of the border town in Bunagana, Democratic Republic of Congo, while awaiting deployment to fight against ADF rebels on March 30, 2023. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- The deputy RDC says the ADF remnants are planting bombs to kill people.
Security officials in Kasese District have called for vigilance against any potential threats from bombs and explosives left behind by remnants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Mr Zephanus Mubingwa, the deputy Resident District Commissioner and head of security in Busongora County, said the ADF were recently chased from their hideouts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which weakened them.
“… they are now scattering bombs in different places so that if any of them detonates and causes mayhem, they create an impression that they are still strong,” he said.
“I am, therefore, appealing to all people to be more vigilant and immediately report to security personnel once you come across any suspicious devices,” he added.
The warning comes days after the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) bomb squad successfully neutralised a bomb at Kyanya Trading Centre in Ibanda-Kyanya Town Council last week.
A similar incident occurred on January 26 near the district headquarters at Rukoki in Kasese town.
The UPDF bomb squad has been actively responding to and neutralising these threats.
Mr Mubingwa said the recent incident is unlikely to be the last, before urging parents to caution their children against playing with unknown objects that they find.
He said some of the bombs are made using simple items such soda bottles.
Mr Vincent Bwambale, a resident of Kasese who discovered the bomb on his banana plantation, said: “I was attending to my bananas, and when I threw one of the cut fibers, I saw a device on the ground.”
“I didn’t understand what it was, prompting me to alert the chairperson of the local council, who subsequently informed the town council leadership that sent us the soldiers who confirmed that indeed it was a bomb and detonated it,” he added.
background
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is an Islamist rebel group, which has terrorrised both Uganda and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The group has carried out numerous attacks in both countries which include planting bombs in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, and attacking people in western Uganda which saw several people lose their lives.
In November 2021, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Congolese army launched an operation aimed at hunting down the rebels and putting an end to the operations. However, the attacks have persisted.
