Uganda willing to train Congolese forces

Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister James Wapakhabulo said on Tuesday that his country was willing to train the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces scheduled to take charge of border security, The New Vision, a government-owned Ugandan newspaper, reported. "In view of the fact that the DRC force to be deployed on the slopes of Mt Ruwenzori has to be put together after the resumption of diplomatic relations between Uganda and the DRC, Uganda is willing to offer training assistance to that force through the provision of instructors," the daily quoted Wapakhabulo as saying. He was speaking during a ministerial meeting in Bunia, the principal town of Ituri District, Orientale Province, eastern DRC. The UN Mission in the DRC, MONUC, reported on Wednesday that the DRC government had asked Uganda to provide a detailed timetable for the withdrawal of its troops in the country. MONUC issued the statement in Bunia, following the meeting attended by Wapakhabulo and officials from the DRC and Angolan governments. The New Vision reported that the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) spokesman, Maj Shaban Bantariza, said on Wednesday that the UPDF would train DRC's Alpine Brigade to handle the border security. The daily reported that Uganda and DRC agreed on Tuesday that at least one UPDF brigade could be deployed on the western slopes of Mt Ruwenzori, inside the DRC. In a joint communiqué issued after the talks in Bunia, MONUC said "the Congolese and the Uganda delegations reiterate the need and urgency for the implementation of the security mechanism regarding the western slopes of the Ruwenzori Mountains." The modalities of the deployment of the Congolese brigade would be finalised when officials from the defence and foreign affairs ministries of the DRC and Uganda meet in Kinshasa on 24 April, the daily reported. The UPDF has stated that it will begin to withdraw all its troops from Ituri on 24 April.