DR Congo threaten to cut ties as Uganda condemns presence of hired mercenaries on Congolese territory

KINSHASA, DR Congo 

Already embroiled in a war with Rwanda, the DR Congo have sparked new tensions with yet another neighbouring country.

The DR Congo have threatened to weaken its diplomatic relationship with Uganda if no official and public clarification by the Ugandan authorities over the recent remarks made by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commander-in-chief of the UPDF (Ugandan army) on social networks.

In a statement issued on Thursday, DR Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba complained about the Ugandan army chief’s declaration to lead a military operation against foreign mercenaries hired by the the DRC and operating in the eastern region.

"We have been very clear that if these statements continue and if there is no official and public clarification by the Ugandan authorities on General Kainerugaba's remarks, through his communications where he engages the Ugandan government, we will also have to reconsider our partnership and our relations. Rest assured that we are following the issue very closely. Our Ugandan partners are informed that we have repeatedly expressed our disapproval and that we will not hesitate to draw the necessary consequences,” Kayikwamba declared.

On December 16, 2024, General Kainerugaba, son and putative heir of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, also posted a statement on his X account (formerly Twitter) warning the foreign mercenaries who pose a security threat to their neighbouring countries.

"I will give a single warning to all white mercenaries operating in eastern DRC. From January 2, 2025, we will attack all mercenaries in our area of ​​operations,” he wrote.

The 50-year-old Uganda army general who has announced quitting social media engagement on Friday, has become increasingly involved in the political arena, in breach of military protocols, reigniting debates about his ambitions to succeed his father, who has been in power since 1986.

He recently sparked anger with a tweet in which he threatened to behead the country's leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine.

In his last post on Friday, Gen Kainerugaba said "time has now come to leave and concentrate" on his military duties but promised to "re-converge" with his one million followers in the future.

The DRC statement comes in a climate of high tensions in the Great Lakes region marked by Rwandan army’s support offered to the M23 rebels who continue advancing in DRC’s North Kivu region.