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Churches urge government to withdraw army from DRC

The Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) has called on the government to pull out of the DRC and confine the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) "within Ugandan borders", the semi-official 'New Vision' newspaper said.

The call was among the resolutions passed by the UJCC members at the end of a two-day meeting in Kampala on Friday. UJCC brings together the Anglican, Catholic and the Orthodox churches. The preamble to the resolution noted the bloodshed that has taken place, the resources drained at the expense of development, and the strained relations among the nations involved in the Congo conflict.

"We urge the government to ensure that UPDF personnel remain within our borders while consolidating peace in our country," UJCC said. "We call upon the international community to prevail on all those promoting conflict in the Congo to stop it," it added. "The government should keep a listening ear to the citizens on how to end the conflict," UJCC said. The
Ugandan government maintains that its presence in the DRC is to contain rebels who have stepped up attacks in the western part of the country.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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