Rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have warned civilians to “separate” from the Ugandan army so that they do not get caught in crossfire. In an interview with the independent ‘Monitor’ daily on Thursday, ADF spokesman Rogers Kabanda accused the army of using civilians in the camps of western Uganda as “human shields”. “Many civilians have been given guns by the UPDF [Uganda People’s Defence Force], making it difficult for us to differentiate between soldiers and civilians,” he claimed. “All civilians must quit and separate from the UPDF, we want to deal with combatant soldiers.” However, UPDF information chief Captain Shaban Batariza described the allegations as propaganda. He also denied ADF claims that most of the Ugandan army was in Congo. “That was the ADF’s assumption when they attacked, but they realised it was a wrong one,” he told ‘The Monitor’.
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