Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebel leader Jamil Mukulu has been extradited to Uganda to face charges of treason and aggravated murder, John Ndugutse, the Director of Uganda’s Counter Terrorism Department says.
Mukulu was flown to Uganda last night under tight security headed by the Commandant Tactical Response and Neutralization Department of the Counter Terrorism Directorate- Superintendent of Police (SP) Higwira Fredrick, after losing his bid to avoid extradition from Tanzania.
The ADF rebel leader was arrested in Tanzania for illegal gun possession and detained at Kagera police station on April 28th 2015 and was later transferred to Dar es Salaam.
The arrest ended years of the manhunt for the man said to be one of the region’s most brutal warlords.
Mukulu is also accused of multiple counts of murder stemming from his alleged role as the leader of the notorious ADF rebels that operate in the Eastern part of DR Congo and launch occasional attacks on the Uganda border points.
Last month, a Tanzanian court issued the much-awaited ruling paving the way for Mukulu’s extradition after Uganda produced additional evidence linking him to recent murders in Busoga sub-region, and eastern Uganda. Magistrate Cyprian Mkeha said he was satisfied that the suspect would face a fair trial in Uganda where he has been wanted since the 1990s.
He had planned to appeal his extradition. However, no details were provided as to the future of the appeal.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network (URN), Counter Terrorism Director John Ndugutse said Mukulu was going to be detained at a location to be communicated soon.
Asan Kasingye, also a member of the team that was representing Uganda in a Tanzanian court confirmed to URN that Mukulu had been extradited but declined to divulge further details.
His extradition proves a major step in police investigations to have him tried for the aggravated murder of Muslim clerics and for treason.
Mukulu is the founder of the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel front that fought from western Uganda to topple the Ugandan government.
The group swept across Uganda and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing thousands of people before running from the UPDF offensive 15 years ago.
Mukulu was put on the U.N. sanctions list in 2011 for his alleged role in destabilizing the DRC.