The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) have conducted a joint operation with the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo rescuing 14 women from Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
The women were rescued on Tuesday after the rebels fled following an exchange of gunfire between the joint forces operating in the Mwalika valley in North Kivu province and an ADF group under the command of Abu Waqas, UPDF deputy spokesman Lieut. Col. Deo Akiki said in a statement.
Among those rescued was a Burundian national who was forced to become Abu Waqas’ wife during her five years in captivity.
ADF rebels originated from Uganda in the 1990s with a mission to overthrow incumbent President Yoweri Museveni. When they were overpowered, they reportedly fled to forests in DR Congo.
Civilians killed
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sounding the alarm over an escalation of violence in the province of Ituri, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to the UN body, at least 40 civilians were killed in the past week in attacks by armed groups near the city of Bunia.
This year, records indicate more than 600 civilians have been killed, while some 345,000 people have been displaced in Ituri.
“We strongly condemn this violence and call on all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and human rights principles,” a statement in the organisation’s website reads.
“We and our partners have supported 460,000 people in Ituri in the first quarter of this year.”
