President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the Commander in Chief of all the armed forces in Uganda, has directed the immediate deployment of new troops into the south of the Rwenzori Mountains to hunt for the Allied Democratic Force rebels.
His directive stemmed from the Friday night, June 16th, attack by the ADF rebels on Lhubirira Secondary School, Mpondwe, in Kasese district, which killed 37 students.
In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, June 18, 2023, President Museveni said the ADF attacks in Uganda aim to cause the withdrawal of forces from the DRC.
“We are now sending more troops into the area south of the Rwenzori Mountain to eliminate the obvious gaps. Was an alarm sounded, and by whom? How did the nearby security personnel respond? Why didn’t our people on the Congo side have intelligence on this splinter group, etc.?” said Museveni.
He emphasized that Ugandan troops will be withdrawn from the DRC, where they are currently hunting for ADF rebels.
“Anyway, our forces are not going to be pulled back from the Mwalika Valley where they are hunting the Arab, Abua-Kasi, who replaced the killed Mulaalo and hunting Amigo. Their desperate, cowardly terrorist action, therefore, will not save them. We are bringing new forces to the Ugandan side as we continue the hunting on the Congo side,” said the President.
According to the President, the Friday night attack by ADF troops would not have succeeded if our people around Mpondwe were alert like the people of Ntoroko were when they crossed into Uganda in December 2022.
According to President Museveni, the UPDF initially concentrated on the bigger groups west of the Rwenzori, and after defeating the bigger groups, they recently started hunting the smaller groups south of the Rwenzori Mountain, south of the Kasindi-Beni Road, in the Mwalika Valley, around Biruunga National Park in Congo, opposite Lake Edward (Rutshuru, Butuumbi).
He adds that about a month ago, the UPDF killed a notorious ADF senior commander identified as Mulaalo.
Since Operation Shujja started, the UPDF and Congolese soldiers have destroyed several ADF camps and seized various weapons.
Rwenzori (North to South), and in air miles, the mountain is 60 miles, North to South, and 30 miles, East to West.
