The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda have agreed to extend their joint military operations against the ADF armed group for two months

MADRID, June 2 (European press) –

The authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda have agreed to extend for two months their joint military operations against the Democratic Allied group linked to the Islamic State jihadist group, in Ituri and Pakistan provinces. North Kivu, in the east of the Congolese territory.

The spokesman for the operations, Mak Azukai, had indicated in statements he made to the Congolese radio station Radio Okapi, that the decision was taken after analyzing the joint operations during the past six months.

It also comes about two weeks after the Ugandan Army Ground Forces Commander, Muhozi Kaynerugaba – who is also the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni – announced that Kampala could start withdrawing its forces at the end of April if there is no agreement. to extend their presence.

The governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda signed an agreement in December on defense and security for these operations in the Congolese provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, after the Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCA) – to which the Australian Defense Forces swore allegiance – claimed a series of attacks in Uganda.

At least nine civilians were killed, during the day on Wednesday, in attacks by alleged members of this group against two towns in Beni province in North Kivu, according to civil society sources in this region of the country.

“We have recorded four deaths, three in Kapalua and one in Muenda. The attackers set fire to several houses and the health center in Kapalua before devoting themselves to looting residents’ properties,” said Meliki Mulla, civil society coordinator in Kapalua. brouwn.

In addition, five civilians were killed in an attack in Beu-Manyama, as detailed by Kinos Katuo, head of the Mamove Live Forces, as reported by the Congolese news portal 7sur7. The Congolese authorities have not yet commented on these attacks.

The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan group founded in the 1990s that is particularly active in eastern DRC and accused of killing hundreds of civilians in this part of the country, may try to operate again in Uganda, where it withdrew in 2003. After a series of military operations that Significantly reduced their ability to carry out attacks in the country.

The Alliance of Democratic Forces suffered a split in 2019 after Musa Paluku – endorsed by the United Nations and the United States – swore allegiance to ISCA, under whose banner it has operated ever since. Baluku succeeded Jamil Mukulu as the group’s leader after his 2015 arrest in Tanzania.