Gen Mbadi, UN Defence Chief Discuss Joint Military Operations against ADF

The Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Lt Gen Marcos de sa' Affonso da Costa endorsed military operations being conducted by the Armed Forces of DRC (FARDC) and Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) to flush terrorists out of the eastern part of the largest nation in Sub-saharan Africa.

According to Defence.go.ug, Marcos "expressed no objection to the ongoing joint operations" during a Thursday meeting with the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the UPDF Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.

MONUSCO is a UN peacekeeping force in the DRC which was established by the UN Security Council to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the Ituri conflict, the Kivu conflict and the Dongo conflict.

The defence chiefs discussed issues on military cooperation and the joint operations between UPDF and the FARDC against ADF. 

Found in Uganda in 1995 and later shifting to the Congo following the loss of camping base in Kampala, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia is accused of killing, looting and abducting hundreds of villagers in Eastern DRC.

The terrorist group, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in mid-2019, recently executed suicide bombs in Kampala, leaving some innocent people dead and scores injured.

In a Thursday joint statement, FARDC and UPDF said they are "continuing search operations in the areas that were shelled at dawn on November 30".

The CDF assured the MONUSCO Force Commander of UPDF's unwavering commitment to supporting regional peace and security, reads a statement on Defence.go.ug.