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The Ugandan army has denied claims that it has sent its troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Congolese forces are fighting M23 rebels.
Earlier, reports indicated that UN diplomatic sources claimed that the East African country had sent more than 1,000 troops to eastern Congo near areas where fighting is ongoing between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese troops, as fears grew of the conflict turning regional.
However, Colonel Deo Akiiki, a spokesman for the Ugandan Defence Forces, told the BBC that the Ugandan army was only maintaining troops deployed to the DRC under a joint operation with Congolese forces against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants.
“The news that we have sent new troops to the DRC is not true,” he said.
“We have changed the place we were just as we recently informed the world to strengthen our foundations of cooperation to prevent the escalation of the conflict in our joint area of operation with DRC forces.”
Since 2021, Ugandan forces have been conducting joint military offensives with Congolese forces against the ADF in the Kivu and Ituri regions.
UN experts have previously accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting M23, allegations that both countries have repeatedly denied.
Since the capture of the city of Goma, M23 rebels have been seeking to capture areas of South Kivu, especially the capital Bukavu.
DRC leaders also said new attacks have begun to retake the mineral-rich region, just two days after rebels declared a ceasefire.
The UN said nearly 3,000 people were killed during the M23 offensive to capture the city of Goma.
By: BBC
