Soldiers are seen on a military vehicle during a joint military operation of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Beni territory, northeast DRC, on Dec. 12, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)
Soldiers are seen on a road construction site during a joint military operation of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Beni territory, northeast DRC, on Dec. 12, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)
Soldiers from the joint forces of the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) guard a make-shift military base in the jungles in Beni territory of North Kivu Province, northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dec. 9, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)
Launched on November 30 by Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) in collaboration with their counterparts, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the joint military operations against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels are raising much hope in the violence-laden northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
From the beginning of the operations, the two armies launched air and artillery strikes against several positions of the ADF rebels in the immense forest surrounding the Beni region, on the Congolese soil.
In Nobili, a Congolese border city with Uganda and the main point chosen by the Kampala to deploy its troops in the DRC, Xinhua received the local residents' reaction to the operations aiming at eradicating the ADF rebels in DRC, a nightmare shared by the two central African countries.
FOR LASTING PEACE
For some who still await the finally outcomes of the operations, the majority of the local inhabitants on the other hand welcomes this initiative between Kinshasa and Kampala for a lasting peace in favor of the people.
"We have been suffering for decades as a result of the massacres of the ADF rebels. For us, the people of this part of the country, the deployment of our Ugandan brothers is a welcomed initiative, which gives us hope for a lasting peace," Muisa Kambale, a resident of Nobili, told Xinhua.
At least 1,700 Ugandan soldiers have already arrived at the Congolese soil since the beginning of the operations, accompanied by a hundred vehicles of the troop transports, battle tanks, armored vehicles and others.
According to Kambale, people should support and give the Congolese army a chance but also trust those who have decided to join the fight against the ADF rebels in the northeastern DRC, more particularly North Kivu and Ituri, two provinces that have been under the state of siege since early May 2021.
A few kilometers from the border of Nobili, the residents of village Mukakati, where a UPDF temporary base has been installed for a few days, have voiced great serenity and hope about the ongoing joint operations in the area.
"I believe in the willingness of our Ugandan brothers to help us in the fight against these ADF rebels alongside our Congolese armed forces. We have lost many of our family members, property and so on for years. Our support is therefore total and hope for a return of lasting peace soon," said Rachidi Mumbere, a driver commuting along the Nobili-Kamango road, where humanitarian and civilian convoys have been constantly attacked by the ADF rebels in recent months.
In addition to the military operations, the two forces are currently engaged in road construction and rehabilitation projects to further facilitate and secure the movement for military personnel and displaced civilians.
As part of these operations, the two sides also launched an extensive awareness campaign and set up medical centers to combat the toxic propaganda distilled by the ADF rebels and their allies in local villages.
TIME TO MOVE ON
Soon after the joint military operations was launched on the ground, several local organizations expressed fear about the complications followed by the arrival of foreign forces to the DRC given the complicated past history in the Great Lakes region.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the UPDF's Major General Muhanga Kayanja made it clear that his country has no hidden agenda behind the ongoing operations which consists purely of destroying the ADF rebels "once and for all".
"We know that our country has a history with the Ugandan army in the past. But as a nation and a people doomed to live with our neighboring countries, I think we need to look forward to supporting each other and solve our common challenges," said John Kakine, a shopkeeper living along the Nobili border.
In Beni of the DRC, although there are mutters about government not having officially informed local population in the first hand through parliament about the arrival of foreign troops, most of the residents prefer to cross their fingers that the joint military operations would allow a return to normal life disrupted the haunting insecurity.
Anthony Mualushayi, spokesman for the FARDC in Beni called on the Congolese population to understand the contexts of the operations against the ADF rebels, who have become for several years an "international terrorist movement".
"We are not only fighting the Ugandan ADF, but also this movement that has recruited several nationalities across the region and threatens the security in the DRC as well as other countries including Uganda. This is what justifies our choice to pool forces in these operations with our UPDF comrades," he explained.
