KEY POINTS
- Uganda has deployed more than 1,000 additional troops to eastern Congo.
- M23 rebels continue to gain ground, raising fears of regional conflict.
- Economic interests and security concerns drive Uganda’s involvement.
Uganda has deployed more than 1,000 additional soldiers to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a move that has raised concerns about the potential for a larger regional conflict.
The reinforcements were sent near areas where Congolese forces are battling M23 rebels, a group with alleged ties to Rwanda.
The new deployment brings Uganda’s troop presence in the region to between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers, according to U.N. sources.
Uganda runs its military operations in the region through Operation Shujaa as a combined force with Congolese troops to attack the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Some analysts believe Uganda has a strategic play in the fight between the M23 rebels because of its military operations in the region.
Residents in Butembo reported seeing Ugandan troops moving south toward the front line with M23.
Ugandan military authorities have refuted enlarging their deployment by declaring changes in their “posture to offensive defense” strategies.
M23 conflict intensifies as regional fears grow
Multiple foreign tactical forces deployed in eastern Congo has caused widespread concern about an expanded regional conflict.
The area of eastern Congo hosts military presence from Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, who maintain individual strategic objectives.
The U.N. experts have accused Uganda of military backing to M23, despite Ugandan officials denying these findings.
According to Reuters, the M23 rebels, a Tutsi-led group with historical ties to Rwanda, have captured large areas of North Kivu province.
The rebel group recently accomplished their goal of controlling Goma then continued their movement toward Bukavu, which stands as another major settlement in the area.
The Congolese government, backed by Burundi and other allies, is attempting to resist their expansion.
Military forces from Uganda and Rwanda repeatedly enter eastern Congo with declared purposes to defend national security and border security.
The extensive mineral reserves of the region have become a target for both nations, who have been accused of seizing its wealth including valuable substances such as gold.
Political and economic stakes in the conflict
Experts agree that Uganda’s rising military operations across eastern Congo serve dual purposes between protecting its security and defending its economic assets.
The region provides vital cross-border commercial opportunities which become endangered when instability increases.
“The surge is preparation,” said Zobel Behalal, a senior expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
“Uganda wants to ensure it remains a key player in the evolving situation and benefits from economic and security arrangements.”
Uganda’s military leader Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son, demonstrates friendly pro-Rwanda attitudes in his public statements where he called M23 rebels his “brothers of ours.”
This has further fueled suspicions about Uganda’s role in the conflict.
Observers from around the world follow the tension dynamics between Uganda, Rwanda and Congo while they move forward with this situation.
More forces deployed by Uganda in eastern Congo have the potential to transform regional stability, although the ADF functions as their official target.
