Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has clarified that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) troops are not in DR Congo to fight the M23 rebels but to combat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and support infrastructure development. He said the conflict between the Congolese government and M23 rebels should be solved by negotiations. In a statement posted on Museveni’s official X, on Friday, February 21, Museveni said UPDF is in Congo with two key tasks: assisting the Congolese army in fighting the ADF and securing the construction of the Kasindi-Beni-Butembo Road. ALSO READ: Museveni reiterates call for Tshisekedi to ‘speak directly’ with M23 rebels UPDF recently deployed more troops in Ituri province, where ethnic violence was reported. “With the deteriorating security situation in Eastern Congo, we secured permission from the Congo government to deploy in Lubero, near Butembo and Bunia, to the north of our operational area,” Museveni stated. He reiterated that Uganda’s presence in DR Congo has “nothing to do with fighting the M23 rebels,” emphasizing that his government has consistently advised all parties to resolve the conflict through negotiations. He said the call for dialogue from regional bodies, including the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), was key to addressing the long-standing crisis. Uganda confirmed on Tuesday, February 18 that its troops had entered Bunia town, eastern DR Congo to stop violence by Congolese militias. According to Daily Monitor, Uganda’s Director of Defence Public Information, Acting Maj Gen, Felix Kulayigye, at a Monday meeting between UPDF and Congolese commanders in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, agreed on a joint deployment in the city. “Our troops that are in Ituri province moved forward into Bunia town to avert an evolving genocide after the joint commanders of FARDC and UPDF realizing that there’s a militia group that was killing a certain ethnic group and so we agreed to move into Bunia and avert that genocide and that’s why we have deployed in that town,” Maj Gen Kulayigye said.
