‘Help Us To Suppress The Enemies’ UPDF Appeals To Residents In Fight Against ADF Rebels

Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) leadership has called has appealed to residents in its western district of Kasese bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to cooperate in the fight against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) following the recent deadly attacks.

The appeal follows an incident where suspected ADF rebels last week attacked a safari vehicle, killing a couple of foreign tourists and their guide in the Queen Elizabeth National Park area of Kasese. 

A week earlier in the same district, ADF rebels attacked a cargo truck transporting onions, killing two civilians and setting ablaze the vehicle. 

Following the deadly incidents, the Commander of Land Forces, Kayanja Muhanga rallied the leaders and residents of Kasese to join efforts toward eliminating the remnants of the ADF, the military said in a statement issued late Monday.

“The enemy right now is at his weakest. We have killed many of their foreign fighters and many of their commanders,” said Muhanga during the mobilization meeting with locals held in Bwera Sub- County of Kasese on Monday, who was quoted as saying in the statement.

Muhanga urged the residents to be vigilant and always report unknown and suspicious people in their areas before the rebels take advantage to cause more mayhem in the country. 

Dick Olum, the overall commander of the joint Uganda-DRC operation, called upon the local leaders and residents to always share information early enough so that the security forces could detect and prevent the enemy from carrying out deadly attacks. 

Ugandan troops, in collaboration with their DRC counterparts, have been jointly combating the rebel group since November 2021.