Summary:
- The capture of Ishasha follows the recent takeover of Nyamilima in the east on the final day of a “humanitarian truce.”
DRC: According to reports, the M23 Rebels captured the Ishasha border post in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday evening, in an area bordering Kanungu District.
The M23, which had been inactive for nearly ten years, attacked North Kivu province in eastern DRC towards the end of 2021 and subsequently gained control over extensive areas of territory.
The capture of Ishasha follows the recent takeover of Nyamilima in the east on the final day of a “humanitarian truce.”
The eastern region of the DRC, rich in minerals, has experienced 30 years of conflict involving local and foreign armed factions stemming from the regional conflicts of the 1990s.
Earlier today, Maj. Kiconco Tabaro, the Public Information Officer for the UPDF 2nd Infantry Division, reported that 98 armed Congolese police officers were received at the Ishasha border post on Saturday evening and are being processed according to international law guidelines.
Tabaro stated that the security situation on the Ugandan side is calm, with no incursion into Ugandan territory.
He mentioned that the UPDF continues to work with District Security Committees in the region to mobilize vigilance among border communities and ensure thorough verification of fleeing Congolese civilians to avoid possible infiltration by negative elements into Uganda.
He added that refugees have been crossing through porous borders into Uganda, with entry points at Bunagana and Nteko in Kisoro, Kyeshero and Ishasha in Kanungu, and other small, ungazetted routes.
Tabaro noted that many registered refugees are the most vulnerable members of Congolese communities.
Over 2,000 Congolese refugees have arrived in the past 72 hours from areas including Katwiguru, Kiwanja, Binza, Kiseguro, Kiringa, Masisi, Bwenza, Walungu, and Rutchuru.
He urged community leaders and civilians at the borders to remain vigilant, as negative elements like the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which have been attempting to return to Uganda after their camps were destroyed in Eastern DRC, may exploit the situation.
