Uganda army displays large cache of seized weapons from ADF in DR Congo

By Kenneth Kazibwe, KAMPALA Uganda

The Uganda Peoples’ Defense Force (UPDF) has displayed a large number of weapons and ammunition which was seized from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel and extremist group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to the Commander of the UPDF Mountain Division, Maj Gen Dick Olum, the weapons have been seized in more than one year that the Ugandan army has been in Eastern DRC as part of Operation Shujaa jointly with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) since November 2021.

The cache of 151 weapons also included bullets and various types of guns, including 142 submachine guns (SMG), eight pieces of PMK Machine guns, one 60 millimeters mortar, 111 military, 45 radio charger ports and 10 batteries.

Maj Gen Olum said this large number of weapons seized from the ADF is a sign the extremist group responsible for bomb attacks inside Uganda and in the DRC is soon being wiped out as its capacity to cause harm has been degraded.

“The ADF will soon get into the books of the past. We have reduced their capacity to cause war, we have depleted their man power, their weaponry and their morale is at the lowest,” Gen Olum said at the UPDF Mountain Division Headquarters, Muhooti Barracks Fort Portal.

He noted that the joint forces have so far rescued 156 persons including women and children with the latter, most of whom in bad health condition currently receiving medical care from the various health facilities of the UPDF.

Maj Gen Olum said the figures only include weapons in the hands of the UPDF and not those under FARDC with whom they are jointly carrying out the operation.

“The figures are only inclusive of what we have recorded and we have in our custody as UPDF. FARDC has weapons and equipment captured from ADF and are in DRC, so the figures could be double what we have just given you.”

“For those ADF put out of action, we only count the dead bodies but those we fight with and ran in the wild and die from there are excluded. Therefore, each figure could be double what we have as UPDF.”