Uganda’s military was put on heightened alert following an attack inside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by a long-dormant rebel group, an army spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“We have confirmed the ADF [Allied Democratic Forces] are attacking a Congolese town called Mutwanga and have killed 16 civilians,” Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye said.
Mutwanga is close to the Uganda border.
“We have reason to believe they can cause insecurity [in Uganda] and we are monitoring their movements very closely.”
The Allied Democratic Forces, a group that claims it is fighting for equality for Muslims, battled Ugandan forces in country’s Rwenzori region near the DRC, with the heaviest fighting occurring between 1996 and 2001.
The conflict displaced tens of thousands. The group was eventually driven over the border, but was linked to a number of bombing attacks in the capital, Kampala, after their defeat.
The ADF made several attempts to initiate peace talks with Uganda begining in late 2008, and even sent a list of proposed negotiations to Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj last year confirmed the Muslim rebels had asked him to mediate the talks.
Uganda said it was open to dialogue but had concerns regarding the sincerity of the rebels’ offer. The ADF insisted that if government failed to commit to talks, the group would resume fighting. — Sapa-AFP