Over 130 displaced as ADF raids village near Uganda border
A woman and her daughter look on in front of their home the day after an ADF-attributed attack in Mukondi, about 30 kilometers from the town of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 10, 2023. PHOTO / AFP
What you need to know:
The rebels are said to have resumed attacks in areas which had been pacified by UPDF and DRC forces.
Security agencies in the Rwenzori Sub-region are on high alert after the DR Congo-based Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group renewed attacks close to the Uganda border.
On Sunday night, ADF rebels attacked Domena Village in Kasindi, which is a few kilometres from Uganda’s border town of Mpondwe, killing several people.
At least 133 Congolese, including women and children, were forced to flee into Uganda and camped at Kabuyiri Catholic Church.
However, most of them later returned to their country after the situation normalised, while others stayed with their relatives on the Ugandan side of the border.
The rebels are said to have resumed attacks in areas which had been pacified by UPDF and DRC forces under a joint military operation code-named Operation Shujaa.
Lt Maate Magwara, the Kasese deputy Resident District Commissioner, said the UPDF is patrolling the border in case of any eventuality. However, he called for calm, saying the situation is under control.
“The situation is calm; that’s why these people chose to go back to their homes instead of being held in the refugee campsites. But on our side of Uganda, the UPDF is ably manning our borders,” Lt Magarwa said on Wednesday.
He added: “Ugandans at the Mpondwe border should be calm but vigilant so that we fight for peace. These were just ADF remnants that attacked Domena Village, which is under Sector Three of the Operation Shujaa but other parts are relatively calm and I am sure they won’t survive because the UPDF and the Congolese army will go after them.”
Mr Sylvester Masereka Mapoze, the LC III chairperson for Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council, said some of the Congolese displaced by the attack are to be hosted by their relatives in Uganda.
Some of the fleeing Congolese nationals who spoke to this newspaper asked the UPDF to continue protecting them from the ADF insurgents.
“We have lost all our hopes of developing in our mother land DRC; this situation of always living in tension shall never let us develop. We thank Uganda’s army for their tireless efforts and ask God to also have mercy on us the Congolese because we also need a peaceful stay,” said Mr Ponsiano Kambale.
Mr Emmanuel Kule Maliba, the chairperson of Kitholhu Sub-county that neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kasese District, asked the populace to be extra vigilant.
“Don’t just welcome anyone into your home. First report any guest to your home before accommodating them for safety and security purposes,” he said.
Background
Last month, the Minister for Presidency, Ms Milly Babalanda, while meeting RDCs and internal security officers in Bunyoro and Rwenzori sub-regions in Hoima City, warned that ADF was still active and called for total vigilance among the border districts.
