The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has urged Uganda Peoples Defence Forces- UPDF to prioritize the protection of the country’s borders to prevent any rebel attacks from Congo into Uganda.
FDC party President Amuriat Obbo made the revelation on Monday 19 while mourning the loss of young lives at the hands of ADF rebels from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“We stand united with the people of Kasese in their time of great grief,” Amuriat said.
“As a nation, we derive direct benefits from these continued foreign deployments, which have continued to inflict pain on Ugandans, like the recent loss of our UPDF soldiers in Somalia,” he cautioned.
Amuriat urged President Museveni to refrain from attempting to showcase military might to neighbouring countries when he has yet to secure Uganda’s borders. Adding that it is reminiscent of a man who neglects his family’s well-being but boasts to others in the village about his ability to provide for them.
Amuriat further hinted on the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) deployment to Congo without the approval of Parliament, under the operation named SHUJA and claimed it has not yielded tangible results. The objective of this operation was to eradicate the ADF rebels from Congo and effectively bring back the much-desired peace that has evaded us for decades.
“Despite three months passing since the deployment, there have been no tangible results. Taxpayers’ money is being spent without any visible outcomes to justify this expenditure,” he echoed.
In this particular attack where Uganda tragically lost over 40 children in a school, the rebels infiltrated Uganda from Congo, carried out their mission by harking, shooting or burning, and returned with captives and provisions like food supplies without any hindrance.
“We also curiously note that this particular attack came two days after the welcome release of the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu and the triumphant return of the Royal Guards to their homes,” the party noted.
The affected school is located 800m within the proximity of a police station, 1.5km of a Division Police headquarters and 2 km of a UPDF barracks.
Reports indicate that those who committed this heinous crime were noticed two days within the area they struck and had two weeks before attacking Kasinde town across the border from Mpondwe killing several people. And yet all these incidents were not enough to attract the attention of our security forces to act to protect the civilian population.
