101 M23 rebels arrested in Uganda on way to Congo

Jerome Delay/AP

By

Gloria Nakiyimba

Ugandan security has thwarted an attempt by 101 former M23 combatants to sneak back into the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They were moving in four vehicles as ordinary passengers but after interrogation, it was established that they were former M23 rebels.

The rebels were intercepted in the western district of Mbarara on Wednesday night.

Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said they were part of the M23 former combatants who had been cantoned at Bihanga Barracks.

According to Opondo they were stealthily leaving their gazetted place of abode contrary to the Agreement of 2014 and the protocols signed with the DRC Government.

“The Uganda Government would like to inform the public and the international community that the M23 rebels that have been cantoned at Bihanga Military Training School in Ibanda District since the Agreement of 2014 have been quietly escaping into the general public and some to unknown places” Opondo said.

They are currently detained at Makenke Barracks, the second division Headquarters near Mbarara town.

It’s now emerging that another group of 40 former M23 rebels escaped from Bihanga seven days ago. According to a statement issued by the government spokesperson, their whereabouts are not known.

Opondo stated that currently there are 270 former M23 combatants still cantoned at Buhanga.

“We would like to restate our commitment to live by the agreements and obligations that were entered into in 2014” read part of the statement.

M23 rebels were mainly operating in the North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gloria Nakiyimba

Gloria has experience spanning more than five years in Journalism, particularly in field reporting, editing, newscasting and management. She is currently working with Capital Radio Limited [91.3 Capital FM and 96.3 Beat FM] as Head of News, a position she has held since 2010.

Gloria previously worked as the Kampala Correspondent for Radio France International [RFI] generating local story leads with international inference for RFI’s global audience. She also served as Political Editor for The Weekly Mail Newspaper as well as Online Content Editor for the California based Ugandan broadcaster KubutakaRadio.com.