The Ugandan army deployed under the East African Community Regional Force(EACRF) has continued making inroads in DRC by taking over more key strategic positions previously held by the M23 rebels.
On Sunday, the UPDF took over strategic positions of Kiwanja in Rutshuru territory in the North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which they have controlled since October last year.
The rebels are also preparing to leave Mabenga.
“The compliance of the decisions made from the summit by the M23 is a very important factor in the reinstatement of peace and stability in North Kivu,” said Col Michael Hyeroba, the Uganda continent commander.
He said the occupation of the UPDF in North Kivu has returned confidence and calm among the civilians who had initially fled after being told of an imminent war between the UPDF and the M23.
The Ugandan contingent commander urged more civilians to return to their homes and continue with their normal life as the East African Community Regional Force is a neutral force meant to secure a peaceful and a stable environment for feature stability and a creation of a condition for normalcy.
Uyezu Gloria, a prominent business woman from the small town of Kiwanja-Rutshu in Northern Province welcomed the deployment of the Uganda contingent troops in the general areas of Kiwanja noting that with the deployment of the UPDF, the entire civil community is rest assured of security and normalcy.
All positions occupied by the UPDF in Bunagana-DRC have been secured and the situation has registered calm with no incidents of violence with the civil populace already enjoying the dividends of peace brought by the Uganda contingent.
The sequential deployment of the Uganda Contingent troops and the withdraw of the M23 is in compliance with the decision and consideration of 20th extra ordinary summit of the East African Community heads of state held in Bujumbura-Burundi on , 4, February 2023 and the East African Chief of Defence Forces meeting of February, 9, 2023 respectively.
The two meetings directed for the serial withdraw of the M23 rebels from the areas they had captured and the takeover of these areas by the Ugandan contingent of the East African Community Regional Force.
Since the deployment of the UPDF last month, everything has been moving according to plan.
