French army helps drill Ugandan soldiers in mountain warfare

Kampala, Uganda (PANA)  -  Ugandan soldiers operating in the mountainous area bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo are currently involved in a ten-day drill with the support of French soldiers, a statement by Uganda’s military said here Saturday.

The drill, the statement said, was meant to make “maneuverability within the mountain easier as far as protecting the country is concerned”.

The Rwenzori mountain area is a security worry for Uganda since it borders eastern DR Congo, which for many years has been prone to warfare.

Uganda in particular keeps a keen eye on eastern DR Congo because a rebel outfit called the Allied Democratic Forces that terrorised parts of western Uganda in the 1990s is said to be still active across the border.

The other security concern that Uganda has regarding eastern DR Congo has to do with the interests of Rwanda, with whom relations have deteriorated markedly in the recent past.

Rwanda also keeps tabs on eastern DR Congo, where it says rebels aiming to overthrow the government in Kigali also operate.

Regarding the training and support offered by France in the ongoing arrangement, the statement released by the Ugandan military said: “Initially, we had problems of fighting tactics and advanced equipment to be used in the mountains; now we are well equipped with modern tools, enough knowledge and experience shared with our French colleagues that UPDF did not have before.”

-0-    PANA    EM/RA    25May2019