Uganda Military Chief Threatens to Attack Congo Town Bunia
Uganda’s military chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has warned that Uganda will attack the town of Bunia in eastern Congo unless all armed groups there surrender their weapons within 24 hours.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Kainerugaba said he had the approval of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is also his father. A Ugandan military spokesperson declined to comment on the matter, according to Reuters.
Kainerugaba, known for making bold statements on foreign policy, also claimed without evidence that people from the Bahima ethnic group, to which he belongs, were being killed in Congo.
He said, “No one on this earth can kill my people and think he will not suffer for it!” In another post, he declared, “Bunia will soon be in UPDF hands,” referring to Uganda’s army.
Congo’s Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, speaking to Reuters at an African Union summit, said her government had “no comment to make” on Kainerugaba’s threats. However, the warning has raised fears that the ongoing conflict between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels could escalate into a larger regional war.
The M23 rebels, who recently captured Goma, Congo’s largest eastern city, claimed on Friday that they had entered Bukavu, the region’s second-largest city. Uganda has already sent over 1,000 soldiers to eastern Congo, officially to help fight Islamist militants. But United Nations experts say Uganda has also supported the M23 rebels, who are led by ethnic Tutsis.
Kainerugaba has openly supported Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, who denies accusations that Rwandan troops are fighting alongside M23. In 2022, Kainerugaba called M23 “brothers of ours” fighting for Tutsi rights in Congo.
Experts believe Kainerugaba’s posts are a way of asserting Uganda’s economic and political interests in Congo’s Ituri province, where Bunia is located. Kristof Titeca, a professor at the University of Antwerp, told Reuters that Uganda’s actions are similar to those during the Second Congo War in 1998, when Uganda and Rwanda divided parts of Congo between them.
Kainerugaba is no stranger to making provocative statements. In 2022, he even threatened to invade Kenya, a neighboring country. His latest threats have added to tensions in a region already struggling with violence and instability.
This summary is based on information from Reuters.