Uganda says troops have quit Kisangani

Uganda told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on Wednesday that its troops had left Kisangani. “I wish to confirm that Uganda troops are now at Banalia, which is 120 km from Kisangani, and the UN observer mission in Congo (MONUC) has taken charge of the city’s security,” Reuters quoted Uganda’s Attorney General Bart Katureebe as saying in a statement to ICJ. He said that chaos in the DRC had in the past allowed armed bands to launch attacks against Uganda, justifying a Ugandan military presence in the eastern part of the country. He said that under the provisions of the Lusaka peace agreement signed in July 1999, Uganda had become a partner in stabilising the region and had complied with UN resolutions. “I want to state categorically that Uganda has never been involved in any appropriation of Congolese property and that Uganda has never benefited materially from the presence of its forces in the DRC,” Katureebe said. The DRC government filed a case with the ICJ a year ago, against Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, accusing them of armed aggression and violations of human rights. At an ICJ hearing on Monday, the DRC demanded that Uganda pull out its troops from Kisangani, cease military activities in the DRC and stop exploiting natural resources there.