Uganda has withdrawn five battalions of its troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a statement issued by the President’s office. “The President’s office would like to inform Ugandans and the rest of the world that, following the pullout of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) units from Kisangani and the areas around the city as part of the UN supervised demobilisation exercise,...Uganda has decided to withdraw some units from the DRC,” the statement said. “These include the 5, 3, 9, 67 and 75 battalions,” it added. Uganda army spokesman Major Phineas Katirima told IRIN that Uganda had decided to unilaterally withdraw from the DRC as a gesture of goodwill. “This shows that we have no intention of staying in Congo permanently, the rest of the troops will be withdrawn in accordance with the Lusaka agreement,” he said. Uganda backs two Congolese rebel factions fighting to overthrow the DRC government.
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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