DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi said on Monday he will ensure that Ugandan troops’ presence in Congo, where they are fighting an Islamist militant group alongside Congolese forces, is for a strictly limited period.
Uganda and Congo launched a joint operation this month against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group allied with Islamic State, but have given few details about its scope or expected duration.
“I will ensure that the presence of Ugandan troops on our soil is limited to the time strictly necessary for this operation,” Tshisekedi said in a state of the union speech that also covered the economy and Covid-19.
Uganda’s intervention has provoked unease because of its army’s conduct during Congo’s 1998-2003 civil war, when Uganda was accused of occupying territory and plundering resources.
At least 1 700 Ugandan soldiers have so far crossed into eastern Congo, and Uganda’s defence ministry has
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