KAMPALA – President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday implored fighters of the Allied Democratic Forces – ADF to choose between surrendering and death.
In a televised address to the nation, Museveni said the Uganda People’s Défense Forces – UPDF had attained the capacity to hunt for ADF rebels from anywhere.
Museveni, who spoke from State House – Nakasero, insinuated that the DR Congo’s leadership by President Felix Tshishekedi’s sanctioning of the UPDF to carryout operations on its territory, offered the rebels no opportunity to hided.
“I’m telling you wherever you are, we shall get them – we’ve getting information about them. We even know their names; we are looking for them.
“There is no chance of these people surviving; maybe they didn’t know the capacity of the UPDF – there is no where we can’t reach. The only option is for these people to surrender; get out there and either surrender to the Congo (lese) army or to our units, which are there or even the UN but get out or you will die,” said Museveni.
The President assured the nation that there wasn’t any security threat that couldn’t be dealt with. He said all Ugandans had to do was to be vigilant, reporting any signs to the nearest security forces, for quick action.
“I want to assure Ugandans that please just be vigilant because when you are vigilant, the criminals have signs; connect with the security forces the rest will be easy. If you have blood pressure, go for treatment and don’t get a heart attack of security; there will be no insecurity in Uganda; be vigilant the rest will be very easy,” said he.
The president gave account of all the cases of insecurity that have gripped the country in the recent past. He said most of those who have been involved in attacks on security forces have either been killed or are in jail awaiting their time in court.
On the recent incursion of suspected ADF rebels in Ntoroko district, Museveni said of the 40 fighters who are said to have crossed to Uganda, 21 were killed and 15 captured alive. He said with the UPDF’s operations in Congo, the ADF will not have any hideout.
ADF was formed in the early 1990s as a rebel organisation with intentions of deposing President Museveni’s regime. It has since carried out attacks in different parts of the country. However, it was pushed out of the country into the jungles of DR Congo where it operated without ever attacking Uganda.
Museveni has on different occasion claimed how ADF had been defeated, especially after the capture of its alleged commander, Jamil Mukulu in 2015, currently on remand at Luzira prisons.
However since 2012, when the killings of prominent Muslim clerics started, the Ugandan government claimed that remnants of the ADF were responsible for such actions. And in 2021 when Kampala City faced bomb attacks, government was quick to gain advantage to deploy in DR Congo under the Operation Shuja.
Meanwhile, government officials claim that two ADF rebels were gunned down on Tuesday in a fire exchange with the UPDF in Ntoroko district, a week after the re-invading Uganda. Rtd Maj Edward Jones Mugabirwe, the Ntoroko RDC said UPDF had intercepted five rebels in Kayanja village in Bweramule Sub-county.
He explained that the rebels were part of the group that crossed into the district last week but managed to get away and had been in hiding, waiting for an opportune moment to cross back to DR Congo, noting that their luck ran out after soldiers on a routine patrol intercepted them.
Mugabirwe , who called for calm, narrated that three of the rebels had escaped and the UPDF was pursuing them.
An estimated 40 ADF rebels attacked Kyobe, Kayanja, and Kyapa villages in Bweramule Sub County, last week, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes, and camping at Karugutu Primary School. Gen Dick Olumu, the Commander of the Mountain Division revealed that during a fire exchange, the army killed 17 rebels, captured 13 (mainly minors), and recovered 17 guns. One civilian and a UPDF soldier were killed.
Additional reporting by URN
