Ugandan army redeploys in northeast

The Ugandan army (UPDF) has re-deployed its forces in the northeastern Congolese areas of Kanyabayonga, Butembo, Beni and Bunia following fighting and growing insecurity. The semi-official ‘New Vision’ newspaper reported at the weekend that Uganda’s acting chief of staff, Brigadier James Kazini, returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the army re-deployed there to “defuse the growing conflict” between the rebel Front pour la liberation du Congo (FLC) leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and the militia of Mbusa Nyamwisi, also a member of the FLC. Kazini has been overseeing operations in the Ruwenzori area which will now include Beni. The paper quoted security sources as saying that at least 50 people had died in fighting last week between the two groups in the town of Beni, some 100 km from Uganda’s border. Early last month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered the UPDF to pull out of 10 Congolese towns which included Kanyabayonga, Beni and Butembo. As a result of the fighting, the UPDF headquarters has reshuffled officers in the Butembo-Beni sector, the paper added.

Fighting in Beni begun on Tuesday when FLC forces attempted to disarm about 70 Mbusa militia members who had for months pitched camp at Mbusa’s residence outside the town. The fighting which continued until early Friday drew in Mayi Mayi militia and other anti-Bemba groups. The paper quoted sources as saying that Mbusa’s militia gained more ground with more support from the population forcing the UPDF to join Bemba. Among the dead is an FLC commander, Bashara Pepe, it said. Mbusa is reportedly in South Africa.