Gen Muntu pleads with the UPDF to stay away from Congo’s resources.

Gen. Mugisha Muntu, President of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), has urged the Ugandan army operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to concentrate on the mission.

Muntu, a former long-serving head of the country’s defense forces, advised the UPDF not to repeat the mistakes of the first and second Congolese conflicts.

Uganda was a member of the 1996 regional alliance formed to combat Rwandan Hutu rebels and Ugandan rebels operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was reportedly supported by then-Congo President Mobutu Seseseko.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces-UPDF, on the other hand, were accused of illegally exploiting Congolese resources, a practice known as military entrepreneurialism. In its investigation, the United Nations-UN cited top military commanders and officers who were part of a “elite network.”

During the 1998-2003 occupation in the eastern part of Congo, known as the second Congolese war, the same accusations were leveled against Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

According to a United Nations study from 2001, the three countries went to Congo to safeguard their borders but stayed to grab resources.

Congo took Uganda to court, and the International Court of Justice found in 2005 that Uganda had breached the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo by sending troops without their authorization. Congo requested compensation in the range of $6 billion to $10 billion, which the court awarded. The sum has been fast increasing, and it is now estimated to be approximately $20 billion.

Gen Muntu now claims that the UPDF’s presence into Congo is a double-edged sword, offering both a challenge and an opportunity for the UPDF to repair its reputation.

He said they must concentrate on their work and avoid plundering Congo’s riches or violating human rights in any way.

Eastern Congo has been insecure for a long time, with various rebel groups operating there, including the Allied Democratic Forces-ADF, which the government blames for the recent bombs in Kampala.

The UPDF entered Eastern Congo earlier this week and targeted ADF insurgent positions. The government claims that the unexpected move was agreed upon with the Congo government, with whom they have been sharing intelligence.

Uganda has the legal right to go to Eastern Congo to preserve its national interests, according to Gen. Muntu. He claims that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has long been unable to build a strong presence in Eastern Congo in order to deny any group refuge from destabilizing neighbors, including Uganda.

Muntu, on the other hand, claims that Uganda’s entry into Congo without the authorization of the Ugandan Parliament was unlawful and wrong. He claims that when the UPDF was in talks with the Congolese government, parliament should have been included.

Section 39 of the UPDF Act states that the president has the authority to send troops outside of Uganda for the purposes of peacekeeping and peace enforcement, but that such deployments must be approved by parliament.

Muntu believes it was critical for parliament to examine the issue in plenary for security concerns. The executive and legislative branches of government should have created a system for sharing information but not acting without parliament’s knowledge.