Ugandan troops have been deployed in eastern DR Congo as part of the East African Community regional force. They will oversee the M23 rebel group’s withdrawal, protect civilians, and open the Bunagana-Goma main supply route. This deployment marks a critical milestone and the final phase towards full deployment of the EACRF. Bunagana, a major Congolese town at the border with Uganda, fell into the hands of the M23 rebels in June 2022, threatening the passage of goods to Goma. The Ugandan army is the third country to contribute to the regional force, after Kenya and Burundi.
In response to media reports that the Ugandan troops would fight the rebels fighting the Congolese government forces in North Kivu, President Yoweri Museveni stated that the UPDF will support the peace plan agreed between the Congolese government and the M23, including the rebels’ withdrawal. He added that the soldiers would act as “a neutral force as the Congolese use the time to sort out their political problems.”
The regional force, which was first deployed in November 2022, is mandated to support efforts to stabilize eastern DR Congo. This region is rich in mineral resources and home to more than 130 local and foreign armed groups, including the FDLR, a terrorist group sanctioned by the Security Council in 2013. Regional leaders have expressed concern about “the persistence of negative and terrorist forces” in the eastern DR Congo, which they noted “constitutes a threat to peace, security, and stability in the sub-region.”
Despite its gains in persuading the M23 to withdraw, the regional force faces pressure from Congolese politicians and civil society who want it to battle the M23 rebels. However, for Museveni, the EAC heads of state would “have to mandate us to fight if one of the stakeholders refuses to implement the peace agreement we have agreed on.”
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