Last month identity cards belonging to military officers of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) were found in camps said to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), however, it has emerged that the Rwandan soldiers have been operating in Easter Congo under the cover of the rebel group.
The Kampala Post has learnt that Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame sent his soldiers to conduct clandestine activities in Congo so that he can justify the presence of Rwandan soldiers in Congo with the aim of furthering his agenda of destabilizing Ugandan and Burundi.
It is reported that Rwanda has been behind the recent flare-up of violence in Eastern Congo and not the ADF which was defeated by the UPDF several years ago.
The ADF is recognised as an Islamist terrorist organisation around the world has massacred hundreds of people in both Western Uganda and Eastern DR Congo as well as destroying a lot of property since launching its operations in the 1990s.
It is estimated that soldiers believed to be members of the Rwandese Special Forces have since October killed over 100 civilians in Beni, a northeastern city in DRC.
Regional analysts say that the killings of the civilians by the suspected Rwandan soldiers justifies RDF's presence in Eastern Congo to purportedly fight negative forces on top of agitating the population.
In fact, recently, a Rwandan trained military operative Issa Niyirora and his group were reportedly arrested by regional security operatives on their way to join the new ADF that has been created by Rwanda.
A source that preferred anonymity told this website that Rwandan special forces under the guise of ADF are well established along DR Congo - Uganda border.
“The number of Rwandan troops under the logo of ADF are increasing each day along this military axis,” the source said.
The source added that the continued deployment by Rwandan in Eastern Congo is a strategic move to wage war against Uganda from the DRC territory.
“Rwanda knows that the Ugandan border is so close to Kigali (Rwandan Capital) and the leadership will do anything to avoid having an altercation with Uganda at their common border,” the source said.
“Paul Kagame is using the name of a terrorist rebel group which was destroyed and no longer exists to further his regional agenda of destabilizing the region,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Rwanda has also been mobilizing sections of the DRC population against the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
“This has been evidenced by the recent violent demonstrations in Beni. The intention is clear. They want a free hand in Eastern Congo to pillage natural resources and to prepare to attack Uganda and Burundi,” a source familiar with the operations in Congo told this website.
“They don't want the UN looking over their shoulder. Making reports and sending them to the Security Council”.
The Kampala Post has also learnt that Mr Kagame has acquired new aircraft and equipment that he wants to deploy in Eastern Congo against Uganda.
It should be noted that while speaking at the swearing-in of newly appointed cabinet ministers and senior military officers in Kigali, recently President Kagame warned that people who are trying to destabilize Rwanda, including those backed by foreign forces, will bear a heavy cost for their actions.
“I want to warn some people among us who hide behind different things. They hide behind politics, democracy, freedom that we actually want. We are going to raise the cost on the part of anybody who wants to destabilize our security, the cost is going to be very high. The people behind this nonsense and even backed and praised by people from outside, and become excited, are going to face it rough,” Mr Kagame said.
Although he did not specifically name Uganda in that particular address, the Kagame and his lieutenants in the foreign affairs ministry have severally taken to social media to accuse Uganda of supporting the country’s dissidents.
Kagame’s statement has been regarded by many commentators as the usual Kigali accusations against neighbouring countries as a cover-up to reports of them backing rebel groups to destabilise the countries as well as abduction and illegal repatriation of Rwandan refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes Region.
Sources familiar with the developments in the Kigali administration intimate that several RDF high ranking officers have since been running from Rwanda to seek asylum in several African countries as well as the rest of the World. Some of these are said to have denied involvement in missions to destabilize other countries.
But, many of them have been followed in their host countries by Rwandan Security agents to either forcefully return them home or kill them.
Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa has survived three assassination attempts in South Africa where he sought asylum and blames all attempts on the Rwandan government.
A number of Rwandan agents linked to kidnappings of Rwandan refugees in Uganda have been arrested and deported to Rwanda.
The Ugandan government in September deported 32 Rwandan nationals considered to have been engaged in espionage and entered the country illegally to undermine Uganda’s national security.
Several others, including Rene Rutagungira, an agent of the Rwandan Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), are currently facing the General Court Martial in Uganda for kidnapping Rwandan refugees in Uganda and illegally repatriating them to Rwanda.
In March this year, court in Kampala released on bail a Rwandan national, Moses Ishimwe Rutare.
It is reported that the accused was arrested by security operatives in December 2018 on allegations of lingering near a Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) installation.
A number of Ugandan security officials including former police spokesperson, AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi and Maj Kiggundu were gunned down in Kampala. At the time, the sacked police leadership which was closely linked to Rwanda blamed the murders on ADF, a terrorist group that was many years ago defeated by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
The rebel group withdrew to DR Congo. Are some of the ADF agents often blamed for some of the murders that rocked Kampala in 2018, mercenaries of a neighbouring country?
In spite of several media allegations made by both Rwanda’s President Kagame and his foreign affairs officials against Uganda, President Museveni has maintained he will not discuss Rwanda’s issue in the media. He says diplomatic mechanisms will suffice.
However, in a March 10 correspondence by President Museveni to President Kagame, he said; “What is wrong is for Rwanda agents to try to operate behind the government of Uganda.”
DRC-Uganda Border Closed
In a related developmet, businesses at the Uganda-DR Congo border of Mpondwe-Lhubiriha are at a standstill following the Congolese businessmen strike over insecurity caused by the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
According to the Daily Monitor, the Congolese traders in the town of Kasindi which borders with Mpondwe have closed their shops in solidarity with fellow Congolese in Beni who are protesting against the “UN failure to protect” them against rebel attacks.
Most of these traders who buy Ugandan goods have not crossed Ugandan border since Saturday in protest over the continued killing of civilians in the area.
On Sunday, the Congolese army spokesperson Richard Kasonga announced that they had killed a top ADF rebel commander called Mouhamed Islam Mukubwa in North Kivu, Beni region.
Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi reject call for joint military operation in DRC
Meanwhile, two months ago, top military and intelligence officers from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and DR Congo failed to reach an agreement for a joint military operation to fight different rebel groups operating in eastern DRC.
According to highly placed sources who attended the meeting on October 25 in the eastern Congolese town of Beni, the plan to have the joint military offensive against the supposed armed groups was proposed by DRC government and supported by Rwanda but the other countries were reluctant to endorse the move.
At the meeting, Uganda was represented by the Commander of Land Forces, Gen Peter Elwelu and the 2nd Division Commander Brig Kayanja Muhanga.
The meeting was also attended by the USA and United Nations officials.
According to our sources, the plan was to have the United States provide intelligence, Uganda would provide air power and artillery while Rwanda’s Special Forces, who are already in DR Congo would carry out special operations.
However, the plan collapsed when Uganda declined to be part of the joint operations.
Security sources who attended the Beni meeting say the UPDF delegation said Uganda would confine its troops at her border with DR Congo without crossing but Rwanda and DR Congo called for a joint operation.
