The joint armed forces of UPDF and Congolese FARDC have killed Elias Ssegujja, one of the most wanted and top Allied Democratic Forces(ADF) commander.
Ssegujja, alais Fezza, Feeza and Mulalo was killed in Shuja the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during clashes with the joint forces that are part of Operation.
The UPDF spokesperson, Brig Felix Kulayigye confirmed the news.
“We have been hunting these groups because they are small and so you bump into one and exchange fire and if you are lucky, you get a big catch like this Ssegujja. That is well and good,” the UPDF spokesperson, Brig Kulayigye said.
The Ugandan army spokesperson described Ssegujja as a big fish in the ranks of the ADF rebel group which has since been designated as a terrorist outfit.
“He has spent many years in the ADF and has since been among the three top most commanders of the group. He was killed together with three others. We shall not relent on hitting them.” He added
According to Col. Mak Hazukay, the spokesperson for Operation Shuja, Ssegujja was killed during clashes in Mwalika valley in the Rwenzori sector in North Kivu.
He noted that at the time of his death, the deceased was the head of the political wing of the ADF, commander of the Southern sector under which Mwalika where he was killed falls but also the third highest ranking commander of the group which the Islamic State group claims as its central African affiliate.
Whereas Ssegujja was killed late last month, it took long for the two armies to confirm his identity and according to sources, it took one of the former bodyguards to the ADF commander who had earlier been captured to identify and confirm his identity.
Ssegujja has been one of the ADF’s original members and has since risen through the ranks at the terrorist outfit to become the third to most commander by the time of his death.
The recent death and capture of a number of senior ADF commanders has seen Ssegujja rise in ranks and position to fill the vacuum left behind.
As a field commander, he has been accused of leading multiple deadly attacks against civilian populations, commanding a mobile camp, burning United Nations armored vehicles, caning uncooperative civilians, and killing civilians suspected of aiding the DRC army.
