President Museveni, has disregarded information coming from different news platforms that is to say Al-Jazeera, Daily Vision and other Reporting that the Ugandan troops who were deployed in Eastern Congo and South Kivu are going to fight the M23 rebels.
The president clarified this in a letter that was written to Ugandans wishing them a good Easter season on Thursday, 2023.
“Contrary to what I saw on the Al-Jazeera, the Daily Vision and other reporting in that effort, we are not going to “battle”, “fight” etc. The Congo Government and the M23, have agreed to a peace plan” said President Museveni in the letter.
The Democratic Republic Rebels (DRC) occupied strategic positions in the Eastern part of the country where the M23 rebels were meant to settle a peace agreement with them thus this attracted the deployment of Ugandan troops since Bunagana town is in the Ugandan border.
The Ugandan troops were therefore flagged off on March 29 in Kisoro area the Commander of Land Forces to areas of Rutshuru-Goma, Bunagana and Mabenga areas.
“We are therefore, going to the Bunagana-Rutshuru area, not in order to fight the M23, but to act as a neutral force” says President Yoweri.
However, the president has traced in the letter that where peace fails between the two forces, the Ugandan troops will apply force.
“We are therefore, going to the Bunagana-Rutshuru area, not in order to fight the M23″ says President in the letter.
He added ” Unless we are attacked, we are not there to fight, fighting may come later if one of the non – state armed groups does not accept peace on what we all regard as reasonable conditions.” said President Museveni
The Head of States also emphasized on the improvement of agriculture from the Congolese farmers with their Cocoa harvest because of the deployment of Ugandan troops in the initially targeted areas
“The other year, we deployed our troops with permission of the Congo government to fight the ADF terrorists in the areas of Beni, Virunga (Biruunga) National Park, Semuliki, Mbooga areas of Ituri – President Museveni
He added “The Congolese farmers were able to harvest their Cocoa for the first time, in many years. There is peace where we have operated”
M-23 rebels have captured areas of Bunagana which is a commercial crossroad on the Ugandan Border and they first capture was in June last year thus leading to other areas like Ratshuru region, Goma among other areas which are in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
