CODECO rebel leaders meet Gen. Muhoozi, apologise for attacks on UPDF

KAMPALA - The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Tuesday (April 22) held a meeting in Entebbe with leaders of the Lendu militia group CODECO (Co-operative for the Development of the Congo), which has clashed with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on several occasions. 

The CODECO delegation, led by Etienne Dunji Kulukpa, the vice-president of the Lendu community in eastern DR Congo, included other CODECO political and militant leaders. 

On the Ugandan side, attendees included Lt. Gen. Kayanja Muhanga, the commander of the Land Forces; Maj. Gen. Felix Busizoori, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division; and Brig. Gen. Oscar Munanura, the assistant deputy defence intelligence and security chief for counter-intelligence. 

The CODECO leaders were received in Uganda a few days ago by Muhanga and Busizoori. 

Dunji thanked the CDF for Uganda’s hospitality and expressed regret over the clashes between CODECO militants and the UPDF in Fataki. 

He explained that they were misled by some negative forces who had urged them to oppose the UPDF’s presence in the area. 

He said the Lendu people, along with the Balega and Bahema communities, have no issue with Uganda or the UPDF. He also expressed regret over the prolonged suffering in the DR Congo’s Ituri province due to divisive politics and thanked Uganda for its longstanding support, including medical aid, refuge and business opportunities for Congolese citizens. 

Gen. Muhoozi highlighted Uganda’s historical ties with North Kivu and Ituri, dating back to efforts against insurgent groups like the Uganda Homeland Liberation Front and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the early 2000s. 

Muhoozi urged CODECO leaders to work with the UPDF for lasting peace and stability in eastern Congo. 

As the meeting came to a close, injured CODECO militants were granted free medical treatment at UPDF facilities as a goodwill gesture. 

The UPDF deployed in DR Congo under a joint operation dubbed Operation Shujaa on November 30, 2021, about a fortnight after the Islamic State, a radical Sunni military group affiliated with ADF, claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in central Kampala, which left seven people dead and over 36 injured. 

The joint operation with the DR Congo army aimed to eradicate the ADF that has camped in the Central African state since they were kicked out of Uganda’s Rwenzori region over a decade ago. 

Of the over 100 armed groups active in eastern DR Congo, the ADF is accused of being responsible for the massacre of more than 6,000 civilians since 2013, according to a tally by religious authorities.

New appointments 

Meanwhile, the CDF has appointed Brig. Gen. Alex Opolot Olupot as the new commandant of the National Defence College Uganda in Jinja. Olupot was previously the Joint Chief of Staff Training and Doctrine. 

Olupot replaces Maj. Gen. Francis Okello, who is due for retirement later this year, a statement signed by the UPDF acting director of public information, Col Chris Magezi, said. 

Okello was the founding commandant since the inauguration of the advanced military education and strategic training college in 2022. 

The CDF also appointed Brig. Gen. Michael Kabango, the Chief of Staff Land Forces, as the new commandant of Senior Command and Staff College Kimaka, also in Jinja. 

He replaces Maj. Gen. George Igumba, who will similarly retire later this year. Okello and Igumba have had over four decades of distinguished military service, during which time they held different command and staff appointments.