Link to article: https://allafrica.com/stories/202309200341.html
First of all, a brief explanation of the acronyms:
- UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Force)
- DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- ADF (ISIS–Democratic Republic of Congo (ISIS-DRC), also called ISIS–Central Africa and locally known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), one of the deadliest militant groups in eastern Congo.)
Summary: The UPDF bombed ADF camps after hearing word that they were going to kill Ugandans with home-made bombs. “Those bankrupt criminals, were in the areas of Mambasa territory, beyond the areas we had been allowed to operate in by the Congo government, initially,” President Museveni of Uganda said. The president’s statement confirmed reports that the Congolese government had allowed the UPDF to go after the ADF where they had run to. ” We are awaiting the reports of the post-attack assessment to judge whether the criminals escaped or have, finally, paid for their sins. If, however, they escape this time, they won’t the next one.” Uganda and the DRC government have now recently extended the agreement for the joint operations between the UPDF and FARDC. Under the new arrangement, the operation will be extended to the territory of Mambasa in Ituri province where the ADF fighters have run to. This covered many headquarters of the ADF that the UPDF have not yet targeted.
Analysis: The Congolese government and peacekeeping UN are struggling to and mainly failing to contain the many armed groups that fight for control of the Eastern Congo. Some of these groups are also quiet;y being backed by the Congos neighbors. (U.N. experts have noted “substantial evidence” that Rwanda is supporting the resurgent M23 rebel group, which Rwanda has denied.) But these groups can also pose a threat to the surrounding counties, including Uganda, whose subjects were going to be killed by the ADF. They are involving themselves because it is also a matter of their national security as well. Uganda also has a history in intervening in the Congo, initially in 1998 amidst great Congolese turmoil.
Connection to our class: We discussed many measures of and pillars of international relations, and one of these including international security, which is a big player here. The Congo could not contain its many rebel groups, and they spilled over to be a threat in Uganda, causing further Ugandan and Congolese military cooperation, and allowing the Ugandan military further into the Congo.