By Andrew Bagala
President Museveni has ordered the deployment of more troops on the Uganda-DR Congo border after an attack by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on a secondary school in Kasese district left 37 students dead.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the president said the ADF rebels attacked the school purposely to divert the UPDF operations in eastern DRC and force them to withdraw troops, something they would not do.
He says the deployment will be done on both sides of the border, especially in the Mwalika valley, which is a ground for ADF groups
This comes as analysts and NRM critics question the relevance and effectiveness of Operation Shujaa launched in 2021.
Under this operation, Uganda deployed troops to Eastern DRC to hunt for ADF rebels, after the group allegedly carried out bomb attacks in Kampala and its suburbs.
About 4,000 troops are deployed under Operation Shujaa, but former Commander Lt Gen Muhanga Mayanja had earlier indicated that the number needs to be increased to about 20,000 to enable pacification of the entire triangle in DRC.
