The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) have rehabilitated 75 Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) ex-combatants (captives and defectors) from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a heightened Operation Shuuja.
The remarks were made by the Defence spokesperson, Brig Gen. Felix Kulayigye, through a press release on January 5, 2024.
According to Kulayigye, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), in partnership with Bridgeway Foundations, will continue to receive and rehabilitate ADF ex-combatants from the Eastern DRC following the increased activities of Operation Shuuja.
“These rehabilitations were done in a phased manner, and from September to December 2023, 75 ADF ex-combatants were rehabilitated,” Kulayigye stated.
He added that the rehabilitation included 5 Ugandan male adults, 4 Ugandan female adults, 6 male juveniles, and 9 female juveniles.
Other ex-combatants included 48 Congolese, one Tanzanian, and two Burundians.
According to a Trauma after War and Conflict report, disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programmes are part of most international peace-building efforts and post-conflict interventions in developing countries.
The report states that over a million former combatants have participated in DDR programmes in more than 20 countries, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa.