Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has denied claims that his country’s troops are fighting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saying their presence is only to protect local areas from the militia.
Amid escalating violence in eastern DRC, Museveni announced on Friday that Uganda was deploying forces, with the approval of the Congolese government, to target local armed groups, particularly the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). “Our presence in Congo has nothing to do with fighting M23 rebels,” he said in a post on X.
Rising Tensions in Eastern DRC
The M23 armed group has seized significant territory in North and South Kivu provinces in recent weeks, prompting warnings from the United Nations about the possibility of a wider regional conflict.
Ugandan troops have also been deployed to the northern city of Bunia, in collaboration with Congolese forces, according to Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Oryem. Museveni reiterated that Uganda has consistently advised parties involved in the DRC-M23 conflict to engage in negotiations rather than military action.
Uganda Denies Supporting M23
Uganda has previously deployed thousands of troops to the region under a bilateral agreement with Kinshasa, primarily to combat the ADF, an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State network, and other tribal militias.
Kampala also rejected allegations by UN experts that it supports the M23 rebels or exerts influence over the region’s valuable mineral resources.
The UN Secretary-General’s special representative for the Great Lakes region, Huang Xia, warned the Security Council this week that M23 and its allies were advancing on additional strategic areas in North and South Kivu. “The risk of a regional conflagration is more real than ever,” he warned.
A diplomatic source told that Uganda was committed to continuing cooperation with the DRC and was prioritising a political approach to the crisis rather than direct military intervention.