Schools have reopened, and locals have resumed normal living in the areas of North Kivu and Ituri Province following the successful demolition of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) during the ongoing Operation Shujaa by the UPDF and Congolese Army-FADRC according to the Army.
During an interview with Nexus Media on Thursday, May 11th, Major Katamba Bilal, the UPDF Operation Shujaa Spokesperson, said ever since the operation was launched, ADF camps have been demolished and captured by the joint forces, adding that no attacks have been recorded.
He said the joint forces have been able to neutralize the ADF and are currently unable to cause any attacks on the community both in the DRC and Uganda, hence businesses resuming within the areas.
“The ultimate goal of Operation Shujaa was to create peace and stability between the two countries, and so far, so good; many achievements have been registered and more are yet to come. Schools have reopened in the former war-torn areas of the north Kivu and Ituri regions as students have now gone back to school and the teachers can freely teach without any fear of attacks,” said Maj.Katamba.
Through the overall commander of Operation Shujaa, Maj.Gen.Dick Olum, the UPDF was able to deliver scholastic materials to learners in North Kivu and Ituri Province after resuming learning.
Maj.Katamba told Nexus Media that they were able to divide into small sections and comb village by village, hunting for the ADF, with the support of heavy war machines, including artillery and air strikes, among others. He described this strategy as effective in demolishing ADF abilities.
“The air and artillery strikes were then followed by ground troops from both countries that combed the thick forests in Eastern Congo in a bid to annihilate the ADF, which had proved a thorn in the shoes of both Ugandans and Congolese and worked for us,” Maj.Katamba said.
According to Gen.Olum, the operation has recorded several successes, including wiping away the biggest ADF camp named Kambi Ya Yua, capturing several fighters, killing others, rescuing captives, and seizing several rounds of ammunition.
In the operations, many ADF terrorists have been put out of action, and many PMK (PK), AK47s, SMGs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other ammunition have been captured, he said.
He added that in the DRC, peace has returned as people have returned home from the internally displaced persons camps (IDPs) and have resumed normal lives of business and farming, noting that a group of many Congolese who had been captured by the ADF rebels was also rescued by the UPDF and handed over to the FARDC forces and later returned to their families.
The UPDF has been deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since November 2021 in an operation dubbed “Operation Shujaa”. A Kiswahili word for bravery between the UPDF and the Congolese forces of the FADRC against the ADF
