By Emmy Allio
UGANDA rebels of the People Redemption Army (PRA) have been sighted among the Rwanda-backed Congolese faction that captured Mongwallo town and airport on Wednesday.
Ugandan security sources yesterday said a Rwandan colonel and two PRA officers identified as Major Muhindo and Lt Kashilingi, son of Lt Col Ahmed Kashilingi, were seen in Mongwallo.
The Rwanda-backed UPC rebels led by Thomas Lubanga captured Mongwallo from Jerome Kakawavu Congolese People Armed Forces faction.
The town is 200km from the Uganda border. It has an airstrip which was once used by UPC and PRA to receive military supplies from Kigali and Goma.
Kakawavu group which controls the Ugandan border towns of Ariwara, Aru and Mahagi, withdrew from Mogwallo after three days of shelling. Sources said prior to the offensive, UPC received a substantial amount of airdrop supplies.
The UN Observer Mission in Congo (MONUC) withdrew from Mongwallo after two of their solders were killed last month by rival militias.
We are aware that UPC and PRA are now planning to capture Aru and Mahagi. Although we are out of Congo, we are carefully watching the situation. We do not care who controls Ituri. What matters to us is that the group that takes control must respect Uganda security interests, a security source said.
UPC, which was chased out of Bunia on March 6 by the UPDF, currently controls Bunia town centre and are resisting attempts by MONUC and a French-led international force to quit the town centre.
At least 150 civilians and 30 rival factions died on Wednesday at the Lake Albert town of Kasenyi when hema and Lendu militias fought for eight hours.
The Lendu are reportedly backed by a Ugandan rebel group, the Allied Democratic Force (ADF).
We are sure that Ugandan rebels, the ADF, were among the Lendu warriors. Many of the dead burned in their houses. We have brought about 10 seriously wounded people to a hospital in Kabarole, said Nebert Jawoto, a senior official of PUSIC.
In the past two weeks, about 500 people were killed in the ethnic and factional fighting in the Kasenyi-Tchomia zone.
Our main concern is that remnants of ADF may take advantage of the confusion to regroup and resume operations against us, a senior UPDF source said.
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