Writer: Asuman Bisiika. PHOTO/FILE
On Tuesday December 3, I had been honoured to present a paper on how East Africans can engage the Democratic Republic of Congo. I showered the UPDF’s Operation Shujaa with flowers for a job well done in the DR Congo. So, I was uncomfortable reading the gold story in The East African newspaper. The headline of The East African’s lead story was: “UPDFs troops in Congo reinforce conflict minerals link to Uganda”.
I have on several occasions said that Operation Shujaa has not managed the public relations very well. On the ground in the DR Congo, there is no civil-military engagement worth the name. My contacts in Kinshasa say they have not been approached for such and that they would be willing to help the UPDF do that. My understanding is that the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, FARDC control many aspects of Operation Shujaa. For instance, early this month, I learnt that the UPDF wanted to take journalists to their operations area.
There was some hitch. They had not cleared with the Congolese authorities. I had advised some friends in the UPDF against taking journalists to DR Congo at that particular time. Why? Because we had learnt that FARDC would soon have a new military leadership. So, a FARDC that controls the movement of journalists would not allow Ugandans to take over gold mines. This is not 1998-2003 where the UPDF was clearly an occupation force.On my not-very-irregular visits and engagement with civil society in DR Congo, there is even no talk of gold or any other minerals in relationship to the UPDF. Even then, neither does The East African headline explicitly put the UPDF at the centre of gold trade (from mining to refinery in Uganda).
Yes, based on observations during my regular visits to the DR Congo (particularly in the areas under the UPDF Operation Shujaa), there are increased gold mining activities. But this has been explained as the result of (or as a dividend from) the relative calm caused by Operation Shujaa. The mining is entirely local by local Congolese. Before Operation Shujaa, mining was taking place in eastern DR Congo. The preferred destination was always Kampala and Kigali. But the mining was limited by (and to some extent controlled by militia groups particularly ADF).
Indeed, ADF sustained itself by their trade in gold. Needless to say, the revelation of Jamil Mukulu's location in Tanzania and consequent arrest (and extradition to Uganda) was caused by a gold deal gone bad. That is how the DR Congo (and gold) was important to the ADF. So, with the UPDF presence in the DR Congo, artisan gold mining activities have increased. Why and how? Because there are no longer armed militias controlling the mining activities. There is no longer insecurity. Miners are now doing their thing for longer hours.
It is these increased mining activities that may have caused a surge in increased gold inflows into Uganda. As a matter of conjecture, one may link the UPDF presence in the DR Congo to the increased gold inflows into Uganda. But the late 1990s and early 2000s scenario where a military unit could be created and detailed to guard a mine does not obtain now. The UPDF, in spite of their failure to manage their communications and public relations, is in general doing a good job in the DR Congo. The population is comfortable with them.
And please note, the FARDC is always tight-marking them and their activities. The question then is: if Operation Shujaa is a joint operation conducted by the UPDF and FARDC, why should the UPDF (and not FARDC) be linked to conflict minerals? Why blame UPDF without blaming FARDC?
Mr Bisiika, former executive editor of the East African Flagpost. [email protected]
