President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has donated 10 brand-new Land Cruiser utility pickup trucks to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) under Operation Shujaa in appreciation of the force’s role in fighting the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists, who have long terrorised communities in Uganda and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
While handing over the vehicles on behalf of President Tshisekedi, North Kivu Governor Maj Gen Evariste Somo Kakule said the Congolese leader appreciated the strong working relationship between the DRC and Uganda and the joint military operations against the ADF terrorists.
According to the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Col Chris Magezi, the vehicles will help intensify operations against the remaining ADF terrorists and restore complete security in the region. The Ituri Governor also praised the efforts of the joint FARDC and UPDF forces for restoring peace and calm in eastern DRC.
Maj Gen Stephen Mugerwa, Commander of the UPDF Joint Task Force Operation Shujaa and Commander of the Mountain Infantry Division, received the vehicles on behalf of the UPDF and the Government of Uganda.
Speaking at the ceremony in Beni, Maj Gen Mugerwa, on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, thanked President Tshisekedi for the gesture towards the UPDF and pledged that the joint forces would not rest until all ADF terrorists had been completely eliminated from eastern DRC.
Since Operation Shujaa was launched in November 2021, the joint FARDC-UPDF forces have recorded several achievements. Relative peace has been restored in parts of eastern DRC. Displaced people have returned to their homes, thousands of abductees have been rescued, the ADF has been weakened, and many of its senior commanders have been neutralised.
Schools have reopened and regional trade has increased. Infrastructure projects, including the Beni-Kasindi, Beni-Biakato, Biakato-Mangina and Luna-Komanda roads, are also underway. Cargo traffic between the two countries has risen from about 13,000 trucks a month to more than 30,000.
Operation Shujaa is an ongoing military offensive conducted by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) against the Allied Democratic Forces in the Kivu and Ituri regions. The operation was launched in November 2021 following a series of bomb attacks in Kampala.
The attacks prompted President Yoweri Museveni to declare that ADF militants would be pursued in their hideouts. President Museveni later met President Felix Tshisekedi, and the two leaders agreed to launch a joint military operation against the regional terrorist group.
