Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, that approximately 200 members of the ADF rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group were eliminated in Ugandan-led airstrikes in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September.
Originally constituted as predominantly Muslim Ugandan rebels, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have operated in eastern DRC since the mid-1990s, causing the loss of numerous civilian lives. In 2019, the ADF pledged allegiance to ISIS, which subsequently attributes some of their actions and recognizes them as its “Central African province.”
President Yoweri Museveni confirmed the airstrikes during a statement on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “We carried out air attacks against terrorists in Congo,” and asserting that “about 200 of them were killed” in the strikes on September 16.
Mr. Museveni mentioned subsequent airstrikes since September but did not provide additional details. Responding to AFP’s inquiry, Ugandan army spokesperson Felix Kulayigye clarified that the president referred to the ADF rebels.
The ADF is accused of perpetrating mass atrocities against civilians in the DRC and executing jihadist attacks on Ugandan soil. Despite a joint offensive by Uganda and the DRC in 2021 to oust the ADF from its Congolese strongholds, the group’s attacks persist.
In March, the United States announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the ADF leader, Musa Baluku, a Ugandan in his forties. In October, an attack in Queen Elizabeth Park resulted in the deaths of two tourists and their guide, claimed by the Islamic State group. The leader of the ADF rebel group responsible for the murders was apprehended in early November by Kampala. Additionally, in June, an attack attributed to the ADF resulted in the deaths of 42 individuals, including 37 students, at a high school in western Uganda.
Ref: AFP
