M23/AFC political commissar Arrested in Kyangwali Refugee Camp Detained in Hoima
On interrogation by detectives, Baraka confirmed that he was reporting directly to the AFC Commander, Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa (Nangaa)
David Baraka Elonga, the political commissar of the Congolese armed rebel movement known as Congo River Alliance (AFC), who was arrested from Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kikuube district, western Uganda
David Baraka Elonga, the political commissar of the Congolese armed rebel movement known as Congo River Alliance (AFC), who was arrested from Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kikuube district, western Uganda, is set to be handed over to UPDF.
Baraka was arrested on September 5, 2024, in Kyangwali where he was actively recruiting refugees to participate in military training in DRC to overthrow the regime of President Felix Thsisekedi.
Police spokesperson ACP Rusoke Kituuma confirmed Baraka’s arrest, saying he was recruiting rebels in the refugee camp.
He said Baraka would be “handed over to the UPDF” for further management.
On interrogation by detectives, Baraka confirmed that he was reporting directly to the AFC Commander, Corneille Yobeluo Nangaa (Nangaa).
Baraka disclosed to detectives that he was based in Bunia, Djungu territory, Ituri Province.
“Security found that Baraka had already recruited 32 people, including four young girls,” said an NGO official at the refugee camp who preferred anonymity to speak freely, adding, “The poor refugees were waiting for a vehicle to take them away from the refugee camp to DRC for military training.”
Police have charged Baraka with a case of “aggravated human trafficking” at Hoima Police Station where he has been detained.
Baraka’s admission to participating in such a crime could see him attract charges of terrorism and treason.
The development also confirms United Nations’ recent investigative reports showing that the M23/AFC rebel alliance has been quietly recruiting Congolese refugees from camps in Uganda to replenish their ranks with fighters.
Officials running NGOs in Kyangwali said Uganda needs to firmly deal with external infiltration of refugee camps by dissidents to recruit fighters for rebellions in the region.
AFC is a coalition of rebel groups that seeks to overthrow the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The principal member of AFC is the UN-sanctioned March 23 Movement (M23).
At its launch on December 15, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, AFC invited armed groups and members of the Congolese military to join its rebellion.
AFC conducts advocacy and public outreach on behalf of M23 and seeks to extend its armed insurgency beyond eastern DRC.
The United Nations has since accused the rebel alliance of driving political instability, violent conflict, and civilian displacement.
Sneaking into the camp
Local leaders say that Baraka may have quietly sneaked into Uganda through the porous Tchomia-Bugoma border point on August 8, 2024.
“The rebel illegally entered Kyangwali refugee camp ,activated his contacts to recruit as many refugees as possible to return to Congo and fight. The refugees are promised a better life and rewards in future,” said an official at the refugee camp.
Baraka also disclosed that the refugees were to undertake military training in Bunagana near the borders of Uganda and Rwanda.
There are a lot of claims that M23 has not only tried to recruit from refuge camps but also has many contact points and secret established supply centres in Uganda more especially in Kisoro and other districts in SW Uganda.Some days back,there was a media out cry from Kinshasha that a certain hotel in Kisoro acted as a transit centre for new recruits for M23.
Bunagana, a critical border town, is controlled by M23 rebels.
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