"Bitter animosity" between Ugandan, Rwandan troops

Last month's "defeat" of the Ugandan army (UPDF) by Rwandan forces (RPA) in Kisangani has affected the position of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's government, and armed opposition to the Museveni regime is likely to increase now that the army appears vulnerable, an analysis of the clash by Oxford Analytica said on Monday. There was also "bitter animosity" between the UPDF and the RPA, and hostilities between the two countries on DRC soil posed a threat to the Lusaka peace accord, it said. The desire for strategic control of resources, including the clandestine diamond and timber trade, had driven the fighting for control of Kisangani because its resources helped both Uganda and Rwanda finance their military operations in the DRC, Oxford Analytica said. The Kisangani clash could mark the beginning of a Rwandan offensive to drive Ugandan forces from eastern DRC, it added. Meanwhile, sources in Kisangani told IRIN that the population remained fearful of potential renewed clashes between the Rwandan and Ugandan soldiers, in spite of the recent troop movements out of the town.