Renson Mwakandana
Police have announced that 16 people belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been apprehended in Mityana District in Central Uganda.
The ADF is a rebel organization founded in Uganda that has spread to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The group, which has been labeled a terrorist organization, has been connected to many attacks in eastern DRC and Uganda in recent months, prompting Kampala and Kinshasa to organize a collaborative effort to flush out the rebels.
A combined Counter Terrorism Security Task Force pursued the suspects, who were discovered hiding at the home of one of those detained. Following a report that one of the suspects was using his residence as a center for coordinating ADF activities, they were apprehended.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said detectives discovered military clothing, boots, electronic gadgets, and two mobile phones from the suspect’s residence during a news conference on Monday at the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.
The accused were sent to the Kireka Police Special Investigations Department.
Meanwhile, a person related to the Luweero ADF terror cell was apprehended last week, according to authorities. As he departed Luweero, the suspect was apprehended in Kampala.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces uncovered a potential ADF training center in Kikubajinja zone, Luweero Town Council, roughly 10 kilometers off the Kampala-Gulu highway, last week.
Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, confirmed the arrest of three people suspected of being involved in subversive operations.
Preliminary investigations reveal that one of the suspects arrived in Kampala in January in search of work and was enticed into the organization, according to Mr. Enanga.
“We have evidence that there are cells which recruit members into the rebel ranks…we are monitoring them,” he said.
