Commandos of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have joined the deadly operation to hunt for and arrest top Ugandan terrorists who escaped from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prison early this week.

 Brig. Gen. Felix Kulayigye, the UPDF spokesperson confirmed the development and explained to theGrapevine that the reason why they joined the DRC’s army FARDC was after establishing that among the 822 prisoners who escaped, there were top terrorists who were recently arrested.

 “Since we joined the operation, we have already arrested more than 150 prisoners who escaped from a government prison in Butembo town. We are very sure that all of them will be arrested because them being out there is a threat to the entire region’s security,” he said.

 He added that preliminary investigation established that ADF terrorists were involved in the attack and their top aim was to help their friends to escape and join them to continue terrorising the entire region.

 DRC government also claims that the operation, which took only 15 minutes was masterminded by ADF terrorists. The prison was allegedly raided after ADF learnt that their friends who were arrested by the security were set to be evacuated to other big government prisons.

 Captain Anthony Mualushayi, the spokesperson for the operation hunting for the escaped prisoners revealed that the attackers come from Mwalika valley and were 80 in number.

They used their weapons and machetes to open the prison doors to help their own including a one Kizito and other 12 deadly ADF terrorists from Uganda to escape.

 Capt. Mualushayi added that over 8 people were killed in the operation including five assailants, two policemen and a prisoner who was killed by the terrorist when was resisting their orders.

 He said that by the time reinforcements came, the terrorists had fled the place.

 However, they managed to trace their tracks and arrested two of them with AK47 guns and several rounds of ammunitions.

 UPDF decided to join DRC to hunt DRC for ADF terrorists after they made several attacks on Ugandans that left some victims dead.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

President Kaguta Museveni has vowed to continue cooperating with Russia insisting that it’s not Kampala’s doctrine to be an enemy of other people’s enemies.

Museveni made these remarks while at State House in Entebbe in a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, today, who arrived in the country on Monday, for talks aimed at improving relations with Uganda.

Museveni noted that they want to trade with Russia and all other countries in the world.

“We don’t believe in being enemies of somebody’s enemy, no. We want to make our own enemies not to fight other people’s enemies, this is our doctrine,” he said.

He further noted that he is pro-himself and he deals with all other people according to how they relate with his own interests.

“It is not my job to be pro-east or pro-west, I am pro myself and I deal with people according to the way they deal with me,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of the Russian government, Lavrov started by appreciating Uganda for refusing to take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He acknowledged the fact that Uganda was among the 20 African countries which in March did not vote to condemn Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine.

He added that discussions over resolving the energy and food crises will not depend on the mood of their western counterparts.

“Our African colleagues understand it has nothing to do with the special military operation in Ukraine.

RUSSIA TO SELL FUEL TO UGANDA.

Lavrov also said that Russia is open to discussion with Uganda on purchases of fuel to curb the high fuel prices despite the western sanctions.

He revealed that they (Russia) sell oil to all the interested countries and if there is a state interested and willing to buy, there are no obstacles to it.

“We sell oil to all the interested countries, and if there is a State which is interested, which is willing to buy our oil whether India or an African State, there are no obstacles for this,” he revealed.

Lavrov divulged that not only do they sell oil but also provide assistance in development and infrastructure in terms of refineries and oil products.

It should be noted that Russia is a major trade and investment partner with Uganda and Africa generally unlike Ukraine which ceases to be among the main trade partners with Uganda.

 By Kalamira Hope

President Yoweri Museveni has disclosed that African countries should have confronted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and stopped them from attacking Gaddafi’s Libya.

In an interview with WION, an Indian Multinational English News Channel, on 16^th July, Museveni said that even though the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are weak organisations, they can assist in the decolonisation of Africa.

The president disclosed, “They are weak, but they can assist for instance in the decolonization of Africa.

“(For instance) when we were chasing the Portuguese and whites, in Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe and South Africa, OAU (Organisation for African Union – OAU,  now African Union -AU), played a crucial role by supporting the liberation movements.

“After we defeated the whites in Southern Africa, there was some relaxation, diversion and lack of concentration, and that’s how we allowed NATO to attack Libya, we should not have allowed it.”

“We should not have allowed NATO to attack Gaddafi, we should have confronted it, but we didn’t, so the consequences are all this chaos you are seeing in Mali, Burkina Faso and so on, but these organisations can.”

Museveni added that these organisations have the potential and capacity to save Africa from the whites who he called criminals, strangers and imperialists like when they united and defeated the Portuguese and whites in South Africa, Namibia, and Guinea Bissau.

However, Museveni said that he never supported Gaddafi and Nkurumah’s way of uniting Africa.

“They believed in an all African Union government, I never supported that. What I supported was what is really taking place and that is the continental free trade area. Which can become an African common market. We can do political integration for parts that are similar and compatible like for instance East and Central Africa which are very similar or compatible,” Museveni said.

Museveni applauded associations like the Commonwealth adding that it is very useful because it is one of the few clubs where members communicate in one language without translations and the members have social links, historical links, links through religions which can benefit its members.

“In my opinion I think we can use it more,” Museveni said.

When he was asked about the hostility between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbours, President Museveni narrated the genesis of the conflicts,  “The problem of security in Congo started at independence when Mr. Lumumba was killed and then we got agents of foreign interests taking over power in the form of Mobutu.

“Congo has never settled properly and the immediate problem, now is that after a long time, Congo has been either supporting or harbouring the enemies of other countries.”

Museveni disclosed that there are many groups like the ADF, Intarahamwe and others that are using DRC as a base to attack its neighbours.

When he was asked about Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC conflict, Museveni said, “There was an internal problem in Rwanda, which started in 1959, by the Belgians who massacred Tutsis and sided with some local traitors called the Hutu extremists.

“Now that generated a Tutsi diaspora from 1959, which stayed out of Rwanda until 1990 when they made a comeback and, in the fight, the foreigners decided to back the Hutu extremists to kill one million people in the (Rwanda) genocide. But the Hutu regime was defeated and they fled with their supporters to Boma in eastern Congo with their arms.”

The President added, “We begged Mobutu to disarm them but he refused. Until the Tutsis in Eastern Congo took up arms and attacked these Hutus, so that’s where the whole problem started.”

Museveni said that if these external enemies were not hiding in Congo, Rwanda would attack DRC.

Museveni divulged that the good thing is there is a regional forum, the East African Forum, chaired by H.E Kenyatta which is solving the problem.

“We think now this problem can be solved because we talked frankly in Nairobi. Yes, external players may make their own mistakes but the original problem started with Congo,” he explained.

By Hope Kalamira