Uganda accused of supporting M23 rebels
By Timothy Nsubuga
30th July 2012:
M23 rebel warlord Gen. Bosco Ntaganda
A senior diplomat at the embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] in London has accused President Yoweri Museveni of joining his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in offering military and logistical support to the so-called ‘March 23rd’ [or M23] rebels who are fighting to overthrow President Joseph Kabila’s government.
The Congolese diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of matter, made the sensational allegations in response to a request by Uganda Correspondent to comment on a suggestion on twitter that suspected Ugandan soldiers were cited in DRC’s eastern region of Kivu, a volatile warzone that borders both Uganda and Rwanda.
“…We have seen the twitter post you are talking about. At this stage, we cannot say with certainty that the allegations are true. Our preliminary intelligence reports however suggest that there may indeed be some Ugandan soldiers who entered our territory for reasons that are not known to us.” said the diplomat.
The diplomat added that if the allegations are proved to be true, then it would be a serious violation of international law – one for which his vast and volatile country would seek the intervention of the United Nations.
“…Violating the territory integrity of any country is a very serious matter under international law. If we find evidence to support those allegations, then you can be sure we shall present them to the United Nations.” the Congolese diplomat said.
The twitter post to which the diplomat responded had alleged that a number of soldiers speaking indigenous Ugandan languages had been cited in the areas controlled by the M23 rebels.
Kabila sends envoy to Museveni
In what may add further credence to the twitter post alleging Uganda’s involvement in the DRC conflict, Uganda’s State House confirmed on its facebook page that President Joseph Kabila of DRC had sent a special message to President Yoweri Museveni.
The message was delivered to President Museveni last week at his country home in Rwakitura by President Kabila’s Special Envoy Mr. Alexander Luba Tembo, who is also DRC Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.
President Museveni and his guest are said to have discussed issues of mutual interest between the DRC and Uganda, and particularly the security situation in Eastern DRC, the same area where the M23 rebels are battling government forces loyal to President Joseph Kabila.
President Museveni, who is the current Chairman of the 10 member International Conference on the Great Lakes’ Region (ICGLR), said that he will convene a summit on Great Lakes Region in Kampala early next month to discuss the security situation in the Great Lakes Region.
The ICGLR membership is made up of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya and Sudan. South Sudan, Africa’s newest country, has also applied to join the regional body.
The Rwakitura meeting between President Museveni and Kabila’s Special Envoy was also attended by Uganda’s State Minister for International Affairs, Mr. Okello Oryem, the Chief of the Defence Forces, General Aronda Nyakairima and the DRC Ambassador to Uganda Mr. Charles Okoto. END. Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates
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