The Commander in Chief, President Yoweri Museveni, has paused all the Operation Shujaa activities in the Eastern DR Congo until further notice, according to the Commander of the Land Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
“President Museveni has instructed me and all UPDF forces to hold all our positions in the DRC!” We will do exactly that! “There will be absolutely no movements of any troops throughout Operation Shujaa until further notice,” said Muhoozi Kainerugaba in a tweet.
The decision comes a few days after the M23 rebels captured the Bunagana border on the side of the Congo, forcing over 150 government soldiers to flee into Uganda.
Also, Museveni’s command comes after a meeting chaired by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is the Chairman of the East African Community, between the presidents of nations currently with troops in DRC.
In a statement issued by Kenyatta, he called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities in the Eastern DRC and for all armed groups, both foreign and local.
He instructed all armed groups to lay down arms immediately and unconditionally and to commit to a political process.
In November 2021, the UPDF, together with the Congolese army, launched operations to fight the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in Eastern Congo. The forces have reported having captured several bases of the ADF rebels.