KAMPALA-The Uganda People’s Defence Forces has said they have sent soldiers in DR Congo to liaise with their Congolese counterparts in intelligence sharing.
The UPDF Spokesperson, Brig Flavia Byekwaso denied that they had deployed soldiers in the DR Congo to fight the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces which was designated by the U.S government in March as a terrorist group.
“We sent a liaison team for coordination purposes on information and intelligence sharing not for deployment [of soldiers],” She said.
She said the team is in Beni, eastern DR Congo where the ADF rebels have been attacking and killing people since 2014.
Brig Byekwaso said officials from both DR Congo and Uganda met in March and agreed to share information and intelligence on the ADF which is now designated as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-DRC).
“The agenda is about intelligence sharing following a meeting held by both countries in March this year,” she said.
But sources say the troops were deployed on May 17 under the command of Maj. Gen. Kayanja Muhanga, who is now the commander of the Mountain Brigade based in Rwenzori.
According to sources, the deployment is intended to flash out the rebels in the area before the construction of three roads connecting Uganda and DR Congo to smoothen business between the two countries.
In October last year, Uganda’s cabinet approved plans to build the roads jointly with DR Congo but the opposition politicians have questioned why Uganda should spend money to build roads in her neighbour in the west.
One road will run from Kasindi to Beni (80km) and another will integrate the Beni-Butebo axis (54km). The third will stretch for 89 kilometres from the border town of Bunagana, through Rutshuru to the strategic city of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu Province in DRC.
