KINSHASA (Halbeeg News) – US special operations forces have arrived in the east of the DR Congo to help in the fight against a feared jihadist militia enjoying “sanctuary” in the region’s nature parks, US and Congolese sources said Wednesday.
The office of President Felix Tshisekedi said Sunday that Kinshasa had authorised the deployment in support of the Congolese army against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
The size of the contingent was unknown but around a dozen soldiers could be seen in official photos of a meeting Sunday between Tshisekedi and a delegation led by US Ambassador to Kinshasa Mike Hammer.
The coalition “Twigwaneho” (self-defence) and “Ngumino” (We Stay Here in Kinyamulenge) is composed of members of the Banyamulenge community.
These armed groups were joined by Colonel Michel Rukundo Makanika who deserted the army in early 2020 with a group of soldiers.
The ADF emerged as a rebel movement in neighbouring Uganda in 1996 but has been active in the eastern DR Congo for nearly 30 years, accused of killing thousands of civilians.
Since April 2019, IS has claimed responsibility for some of their attacks, and in March this year Washington placed the ADF on a list of “terrorist organisations” affiliated with IS.
In a statement last week, the US embassy in the DRC said the special ops team would also help rangers in the Virunga and Garumba parks to “combat trafficking in wild species and other illegal activities”. AFP
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