On New Year’s Eve, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa addressed the nation and outlined government priorities for 2023, including; security, wealth creation, stabilizing commodity prices, cheaper fuel alternatives among other things. President Museveni stated: “I want to assure Ugandans that there is no terrorist group or criminal group that can defy the combined strength of the UPDF, the Uganda Police, the
intelligence services, the Uganda Prison Services and the popular vigilance of the people….” Why is security top of the President’s list of
things to focus on this year? To a large extent, peace is a product of security. Security, Peace and Development are also interlinked.
Uganda has largely been peaceful since the insecurity and instability in Northern Uganda caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and
other minor rebel groups were neutralized.
However, last year, there were sporadic attacks on some police posts in which 3 police officers were killed in Busunju and Nakasozi, 11 guns
seized and in another, a UPDF soldier on duty at Amber court road, Jinja was killed. These attacks purposely targeting security personnel
pointed to a likely emergence of a rebel group or the possibility of old rebel group(s), cells being reactivated. Threats and insecurity occasioned by ADF rebels have been around for more than 20 years. In early December, there was a daring attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in Ntoroko district in Western Uganda. At least 19 people were killed and some people displaced.
On November 30, 2021, Uganda fighter jets bombed four ADF bases in Ituri and Beni territories of North Kivu province in Eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thus, the operation code-named Shujaa (Hero) to flush out the ADF rebels from their bases in Eastern
DRC had begun and it is still going on. The M-23 war in Eastern DRC complicates and presents additional challenges to Operation Shujaa.
Recently, Uganda deployed UPDF troops along the Congo-Uganda border in Kanungu district as a result of complexities of the M-23 security
challenge. (UPDF deploys troops on the Congo Political Analyst, Kwezi Emmanuel Tabaro, who follows matters of security in the Great Lakes Region noted, “Uganda has been peaceful except for the incidents on a few police posts and attempted attacks by the ADF in early December.”
Kwezi adds that the threats to peace and security in the country because of the Allied Democratic Forces unlike the Lord’s Resistance
Army is more serious because they are engaged in an ideological contest with the state of Uganda and have links to the Islamic State’s
Central Africa Province (ISCAP).
A letter dated December 16, 2022 revealed that “In North Kivu, the sanctioned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) continued to expand its area of
operations and to attack civilians in Beni and Lubero territories in North Kivu and Southern Ituri……” The effect of insecurity in neighbouring countries was witnessed by the interruption in trade between Uganda and South Sudan when security could not be guaranteed to Ugandan
traders, investors. Trade between Uganda and the DRC can be better if security is guaranteed.
It is in the interest of Uganda and other countries in the Great Lakes region to have peace, security and stability to enable sustainable growth and development of individual countries and the region.
“It is in the interest of Uganda and other countries in
the Great Lakes region to have peace, security and
stability to enable sustainable growth and development of
individual countries and the region.”
