Ugandan troops bolster Bunia against rebel threat in Congo
Ugandan forces have entered the city of Bunia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the request of local authorities. The intention is to safeguard the civilian population from rebel assaults.
At the request of the country's authorities, Ugandan forces have advanced into Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The statement highlighted that the mission of the Ugandan soldiers will be to ensure the safety of the city's civilian population and to fend off attacks by rebel groups active in this region.
Rebels terrorise residents. Brutal executions
In recent days, there has been a massacre in Ituri, during which dozens of people from the Hema tribe were killed. The atrocity was committed by guerrillas from the CODECO group, recruited from the Lendu population. The conflict between the Hema and Lendu has been ongoing since the start of the 21st century and is connected to the control of mineral resources.
Simultaneously, approximately 600 kilometres (370 miles) to the south in the Lake Kivu region, another conflict is ongoing. Rebels from the March 23 Movement, backed by the Rwandan army, have taken control of Goma and Bukavu.
This is the consequence of tensions following the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda during the 1990s. These conflicts have deep ethnic and political roots.
