Uganda launches joint strikes in Congo against ADF rebels

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Uganda’s army has launched joint air and artillery strikes against the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group in eastern Congo.

The attacks were carried out with Congo’s military against ADF camps, Uganda People’s Defense Forces spokeswoman Brig. Gen. Flavia Byekwaso said via Twitter. No further details were given.

The joint military action comes shortly after Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi authorized Uganda’s troops to enter into Congo to help fight the rebel group blamed for attacks in eastern Congo that have killed more than 1,000 people over the past several years. The attacks have become more frequent in recent months.

At least four civilians were killed less than two weeks ago in Uganda’s capital when suicide bombers detonated their explosives at two locations there.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the explosions, saying they were carried out by Ugandans. Ugandan authorities blamed the attacks on the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, an extremist group that has been allied with the IS group since 2019.

The ADF was established in the early 1990s in Uganda. The Ugandan military later forced the rebels into eastern Congo, where many rebel groups are able to operate because the central government has limited control there.