Uganda’s military and forces from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo have rescued 200 civilians hostages in eastern DRC in a joint operation against Islamist militants known as the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF.
The captives had been held by the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan group operating in eastern Congo that pledged allegiance to Islamic State a decade ago.
The ADF has killed thousands of civilians in eastern Congo since stepping up attacks in 2014, according to U.N. figures. Congo’s army has said the group was responsible for kidnapping large numbers of civilians and forcing young female captives into marriages with fighters.
The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces said in a statement that those freed from the camp along the River Epulu included a 14-year-old girl. UPDF spokesperson Chris Magezi said that the raid was conducted last week.
“Several appeared frail, suffering from untreated illnesses such as malaria, respiratory infections, and physical exhaustion,” the UPDF statement said.
Uganda sent troops to Congo in 2021 to help the Kinshasa government fight the ADF.
The ADF took up arms against Ugandan authorities in the mid-1990s from bases in western Uganda but were routed in the early 2000s, forcing its members to flee across the border into Congo.
Reuters/Shakirat Sadiq