Police, UPDF keenly monitoring Bunagana – Kisoro border against M23 rebels

By Ben Musanje

13^th June 2022

Uganda’s security agencies have revealed that they are still on a high alert monitoring the situation at Bunagana border in Kisoro district following the fresh fighting between Congolese army and M23 Rebels in Eastern DRC.

Fighting between M23 rebels and Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) soldiers intensified on Sunday 12 June and throughout the night. The rebels, who resumed fighting in May, emerged victorious. They briefly captured the same border post in 2013.

Bunagana border, which connects Uganda’s Kisoro district in the south-west part of the country to the DRC’s Rushuru, North Kivu Province, is located 70km north-east of Goma.

Fred Enanga, the Police Spokesperson has told the media that the situation has not yet normalized in Bunagana and they are working with the Uganda Peoples Defense Force -UPDF to monitor the situation around the area.

Enanga has also noted that there were about 100 FARDC armed soldiers who had crossed to Uganda and plans are there to escort them back.

On the morning of Monday 13 June, the Democratic Republic of Congo-based M23 rebels captured Bunagana border post, forcing Congolese soldiers and police to run into Uganda for safety.

The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels, and after the capture of the border post, there were online reports that Ugandan soldiers also aided the rebels. Army officials in Kampala have dismissed those claims.

End