Uganda : Chief of Defense Gen Katumba Wamala Warns ADF
The Chief of Defense Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, has said the Allied Democratic Forces [ADF]’s recent expansion of military capacity and barbaric attacks in the neighboring DRC should not be any cause of concern to Ugandans because the national army has got everything under control.
By , 16 july 2013
Gen Katumba Wamala has warned ADF against crossing into Uganda
Despite earlier reports indicating that the rebels had overrun the Congolese national army unit, the FARDC later regained control over Kamango area and that everything would soon brought to normal.
“The rebels are not in position to catch us unawares and launch a surprise attack. We are prepared in all angles,” he said.
“We learnt many years ago that the ADF are still in existence and when we revealed this, some of you thought it was a joke.
Speaking to Chimp Reports on the sidelines of Wazalendo SACCO Retreat at Hotel City Royale in Bugolobi, Kampala on Monday, Gen Katumba confirmed that the ADF’s possible target is the UPDF so as to reestablish themselves in western Uganda.
He noted: “They are perhaps thinking of weakening the Congolese government forces [FARDC] first so that they can easily launch an attack on us. But we are ready for them. At any time.”
The general noted that at the moment, the only cause of concern to the UPDF in these attacks is the worrying influx of refugees in the western district of Bundibugyo.
He admitted that “we know that ADF rebels may use this influx to cross into the country disguising themselves as part of the refugees. But our men are working on this, closely keeping an eye on everybody to see to it that no one eases-in with a weapon.”
REFUGEES
According the Commissioner for Refugees in the OPM, David Kazungu, up to 60,000 refugees have so far crossed into the country via the Nyakahuka border due to armed clashes in Kamango about 15km into the DRC.
The department along with UNHCR have since last week been sending relief items including food and shelter though the number of refugees is still overwhelming.
Gen. Katumba told us that the UPDF are also in the process of availing aid to the refuges, mainly in form of medical attention.
“Our team of doctors is currently on standby as we await response from the Ministry of Health, whom we requested to give us some medicine and as soon as it arrives, they will be setting off to Bundibugyo.
“We are also greatly concerned that such a huge number of refugees might spark off a serious epidemic or leave us with certain diseases on their way back and that is why we want to come in quick to arrest any of such possibilities,” he said.
Formed in 1996 by a puritanical Muslim sect in the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda, the ADF was a major cause of unrest in the causing a big number of deaths and abductions.
After a year’s sporadic raids, the national army almost wiped out the group’s capacity in 2004 forcing them into neighboring DRC.
Nonetheless, a UN report last year said that the rebels had overhauled their capacity and established links with Somalia’s al
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