The Ugandan government plans to organize a dialogue with the terrorists of the Democratic and Allied Forces (ADF) active in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda in order to put an end to the violence which is raging in these two countries. Godefroy Kabianga, Minister of Communication and Media, affirmed that this dialogue would be possible with the help of a commission in charge of seeking ADF-MTM leaders to put an end to the violence perpetrated by the attackers against the civilian population. The terrorists would even be ready to start this dialogue, according to the former rebel leader ADF Kisokeranyo and the former minister Kiwanzanga who have already started this work.
According to the information gathered, all strategies are possible to put an end to the violence linked to the ADF, even if the Ugandan government has already launched operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo against them. In this regard, Godefroy Kabianga explained that, if they have the possibility, they prefer to dialogue with the terrorists before considering a military solution. This is not Uganda’s first experience of dialogue with rebel groups: they have already tried to dialogue with the Lord’s Resistance Army, but without success, and were forced to opt for a military solution. The Minister believes that if the ADF accept the dialogue, the government is ready to dialogue with them. However, if they refuse, the government will not hesitate to fight them.
For nearly 10 years, the ADF have been raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly targeting civilian populations. The latest figures show more than 10 people killed and others abducted, including injuries. The objective of this dialogue is to foster peace in conflict-affected regions, although Ugandan leaders remain aware that they may have to fight the ADF if the dialogue fails. No one yet knows what turn this dialogue will take, but it is clear that if peace is to reign in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda, lasting solutions will have to be found to put an end to this violence.