Intelligence chiefs from the Great Lakes region have convened in Kampala for a security meeting on conflict resolution in the region. 

According to the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, the Kampala meeting, which kicked off Tuesday (August 23), is a follow-up of the Goma meeting that was held early this year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

Kulayigye said the fifth meeting of the heads of intelligence and security services of contact and coordination group member states was opened by the UPDF Chief of Military Intelligence (CMI), Maj. Gen. James Birungi. 

“Maj Gen Birungi applauded the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General for initiating the Contact and Coordination Group, intended to explore non-military strategies for conflict resolution in the Great Lakes Region. He said the meeting comes at a time when regional peace and security is threatened by numerous threats such as terrorism, trans-national and cyber-crime,” Kulayigye said in a statement. 

During the meeting, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Great Lakes Region, Xia Huang, is expected to address the security chiefs on the issue of security in the Great Lakes region and East African region.  

“The main objective of the 3-day meeting is to take stock of the operationalization of the Contact and Coordination Group as well as that of its Operational Unit in the current security context and to decide on the next steps to that effect,” Kulayigye said. 

“The Partner States of the Contact and Coordination Group are the Republic of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Republic of Angola and the Republic of Kenya are co-opted as guest states,” he added.