The militaries of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) rescued more than 200 civilians abducted by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (IS) through a joint operation.
Uganda's military said in a statement on the 20th (local time) that, together with the DR Congo military, it raided an Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) camp near the Efulu River in eastern DR Congo on the 13th, killed rebels, and secured an armory.
The ADF is a group formed in Uganda in the early 1990s. It later shifted its base to eastern DR Congo, a neighboring country with weak government control, and has operated there.
Since 2019, the ADF has claimed to be a branch of IS and has carried out killings, abductions, and rapes of civilians in eastern DR Congo. Uganda's military has supported the DR Congo government and fought the ADF since 2021.
The civilians rescued this time were forced to work without being properly supplied with food, and some did not receive adequate treatment despite contracting diseases such as malaria or respiratory infections, Uganda's military said. Among the civilians was a 14-year-old girl.