Thirty-three female combatants from 15 United Nations Member States, including Uganda, have completed the 5th Women’s Outreach Course and the Micro Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Remote Pilot and Trainer of Trainers Course at the United Nations Regional Service Centre in Entebbe.

 The training was conducted by the United Nations C4ISR Academy for Peace Operations, with support from the Government of Canada.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, on behalf of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Chief of Joint Staff, the UPDF Director Women Affairs, Brigadier General Charity Bainababo, commended the collaboration between Uganda, the United Nations, and development partners in advancing the quality of peacekeeping training.

“As a proud host nation, Uganda stands at the forefront of global peacekeeping efforts, dedicated to fostering stability and security,” Brig Gen Bainababo said. “Our commitment is demonstrated through the provision of world-class training facilities and logistical support that ensure peacekeeping personnel are well prepared for deployment in complex environments.”

She highlighted the importance of the Micro UAS Remote Pilot and Trainer of Trainers Course, describing it as a key step in strengthening mission effectiveness through technological innovation.

“Technology now plays a critical role in modern peacekeeping operations. By equipping personnel with these capabilities, we enhance efficiency and ensure the safety of all involved,” she added.

Brig Gen Bainababo thanked the United Nations for its leadership and the Governments of Canada and Japan for their financial and technical support. She reaffirmed Uganda’s commitment to supporting future peacekeeping initiatives and maintaining its role as a steadfast partner in global peace and security.

Her Excellency Pamela Kertland, Consul General of Canada to the Republic of Uganda, applauded the initiative as a vital effort in advancing gender equality and empowering women in peacekeeping.

“We believe that inclusive peacekeeping is effective peacekeeping, and the Women’s Outreach Course is a shining testimony to this belief,” she said. “Canada is proud to support this essential initiative, which paves the way for greater representation of women in peace operations across the globe.”

Ambassador Kertland emphasised that diversity strengthens peacekeeping missions, noting that the inclusion of women is not merely about numbers but about recognising the unique perspectives and skills they contribute.

She also appreciated the United Nations, the Government of Uganda, and the governments of Japan, France, Belgium, and Morocco for their collaboration and technical expertise.

“Equality and security go hand in hand,” she said, encouraging the graduates to apply their skills and leadership to shape the future of peacekeeping.

The Women’s Outreach Course trained 24 participants from 15 UN Member States, including Ugandans, who completed the Micro UAS Remote Pilot and Trainer of Trainers Course. Facilitators included Col Vincent Douniaux from Belgium, Lt Col Hind Jirari from France, Mr. Paulin Djomo Metanhi from Cameroon, and Mr. Emmanuel Ngor, Chief of Regional Technology Service, among others.

Who is Rashid Salim Mohammad,a Kenya ADF captured in DRC in 2022?Is he still held in the prisons of DRC??

 To date, the Congolese population has not yet been informed about the fate reserved by the Congolese military justice system for radical Islamist Rashid Salim Mohammed, aka Chotara or Turki, a Kenyan citizen responsible for beheading civilians and soldiers in ADF/ISCAP propaganda videos broadcast by the Islamic State.

A brilliant young student, Rashid Salim Mohammed was sent to Turkey to continue his computer science studies. Some time later, the Turkish authorities deported him to Kenya for attempting to reach Syria (the headquarters of Daesh).

Arriving in Kenya, he was charged and convicted of terrorism. Having escaped from prison, his country's Criminal Investigation Directorate announced on November 9, 2021, the availability of 10,000,000 Kenyan shillings as a reward for information leading to the arrest of this fugitive.

Arrested in January 2022 in Mantubi, a village located between the territory of Beni and the province of Ituri, Rashid Salim Mohammed will be taken to Kinshasa via the city of Beni. His trial had begun, but little is known about its future course.

After his arrest in DRC, Kenya's counterterrorism authorities contacted those of Congo Kinshasa via INTERPOL (USA) to also question Rashid Salim Mohammed.

Is it Rwanda or M23,How did M23 get these polish equipments?Rwanda's Electronic Warfare System Exposes Its Limitations

 

FARDC Regains the Advantage After Neutralizing Polish WB Group Equipment

Kalembe, Masisi Territory – October 21, 2025

Images authenticated by Congolese security sources show several electronic devices abandoned by the M23-RDF-AFC coalition forces on the Kalembe front, in Masisi Territory, North Kivu.

This equipment, branded MindMade WB Group (Poland), was reportedly used for jamming and electronic warfare operations before being neutralized or abandoned during the final advances of the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC).

Is Jamming Network Now Ineffective

The modules recovered on the ground, equipped with antennas and signal amplifiers, were part of a sophisticated system designed to jam the control frequencies of Congolese drones and intercept certain military communications. However, recent strikes by FARDC CH-4 drones, deployed from Goma, revealed that this electronic warfare system had lost its effectiveness.

"These devices were found intact, abandoned in haste. Their operators fled after Monday evening's drone strike," said a local military source.

"This proves that the Polish system was unable to withstand the FARDC's electronic countermeasures."

Is it a proof of Polish-Rwandan Cooperation 

The labels visible on the modules bear the words "MindMade – WB Group – SAS," a subsidiary of the Polish giant WB Electronics, a renowned supplier of communications and military jamming technologies. This discovery confirms suspicions of technological cooperation between Kigali and Warsaw, long cited in regional intelligence reports.

According to Congolese experts, these devices were used to disrupt GPS signals, destabilize CH-4 drone transmissions, and mask the position of rebel troops.

However, the recent adaptation of FARDC communication protocols has rendered these systems obsolete.

"The new frequencies of Chinese drones and the dynamic encryption adopted by the FARDC render these Western equipment calibrated for standard signals ineffective," analyzes a Nairobi-based electronic warfare specialist.

Is FARDC Regaining the Initiative on the Ground

The intensification of drone strikes since October 18, particularly around Kalembe, Mweso, and Tongo, demonstrates that the FARDC now controls the electromagnetic spectrum of the battlefield. By combining visual intelligence, digital interception, and targeted strikes, the Congolese army is thwarting the rebel groups' escape strategies.

Congolese officers claim that the Polish jamming system, used by forces allied with the RDF, did not prevent Congolese drones from detecting and striking several rebel logistics caches and arsenals. "We have crossed a threshold. Rwanda and its allies were losing their digital invisibility. What they were installing in our forests no longer protects them," commented a security analyst.

Is Symbolic to a setback for Kigali

Beyond the material loss, this episode represents a strategic and symbolic setback for the Rwandan military, renowned for its technological superiority in the region. The fact that these WB Group modules were abandoned on Congolese soil without having achieved their tactical objectives illustrates a reverse technological saturation effect: technical superiority no longer guarantees victory.

23 people sentenced for belonging to the ADF

 

The Beni military court handed down prison sentences of 5 to 20 years to 23 people convicted of belonging to or collaborating with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on October 6, 2025. The convicts must also pay 400,000 FCFA each.

Offenses: terrorism, participation in an insurrectional movement, financing of terrorism, illegal possession of weapons.

Acquittals: 7 defendants, insufficient evidence.

Deaths in custody: 5 defendants, prosecution discontinued.

Special case: 1 woman suspected of mental illness, case suspended.

Among those convicted are Kasereka Katrisia Judson (20 years old), Mumbere Birere Jérémie (20 years old), and two women (15 years each). The trial continues for the remaining .

UPDF Proposes Creation of Local Defense Forces to Secure Areas Liberated from the ADF

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The new commander of Ugandan troops operating jointly with the FARDC, Major General Stéven Mugerwa, has proposed the establishment of Local Defense Forces to strengthen security in areas affected by the ADF.

"I have asked the governor to inform his superiors to create Local Defense Forces to counter the ADF's maneuvers, which bypass our positions and then attack the population after the strikes," he said.

This approach aims to ensure continued community protection while the army continues its hunt for rebels. This system had already proven its worth in Uganda, during the fight against Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a group just as brutal as the ADF.

New clashes between M23 and Wazalendo in Luke.

Since the early hours of Monday, violent clashes have been taking place between AFC/M23 rebels and Wazalendo fighters in Masisi territory, North Kivu, causing panic and the flight of residents.

According to local sources, hostilities erupted around 5:00 a.m. in Luke, where heavy and light weapons fire is still being heard. The AFC/M23 rebels have reportedly launched an offensive aimed at dislodging the Wazalendo from their positions in order to extend their control over the area.

This new escalation comes barely a month after the return of residents of Luke, recently recaptured by the Wazalendo. Faced with the resumption of fighting, several families have fled to the bush, fearing for their safety.

The situation remains extremely tense and uncertain. The local population is calling for rapid intervention to ensure their protection and restore peace.

Furthermore, despite the resumption of negotiations in Doha between representatives of the AFC/M23 and the Congolese government, both sides continue to reinforce their positions with troops and equipment on the front lines in North and South Kivu.

How and Why Gen. Byamungu and Lt. Col Willy Ngoma, M23 Officers, Were Once Detained by Gen Makenga

The Commander-in-Chief of the AFC/M23 Army, Major General Sultani Makenga, has recently detained some of his senior officers for various crimes they committed in areas under his control.

These crimes include looting and illegal trade, mainly in precious minerals.

Those sentenced to short prison terms include well-known M23 soldiers, as well as Makenga's brother.

Among those sentenced by Gen. Sultani Makenga is the former M23 Army commander in Goma, Col. Jimmy Nzamuye, who has recently been released. Before his arrest and detention in Tchanzu, he was suspected of using his position to amass wealth.

After his release, Gen. Makenga immediately removed him from command of the army in Goma and made him responsible for planning operations in the second military region operating in Masisi.

My intelligence Sources also say that last September, Brigadier General Bernard Maheshe Byamungu, who is currently the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the M23 Army in charge of operations and intelligence, also spent a week in detention. The decision to detain him was reportedly taken by the M23 Disciplinary Commission.

Byamungu was allegedly being investigated for the seizure and sale of seven villas that once belonged to the DRC government.

Sources deep inside the M23 core military administration  also say that Gen. Makenga continues to closely monitor the land disputes Byamungu is implicated in, while also closely following the case of Basile Bashigwa, the head of intelligence in the city of Goma, who is said to lead a gang of thieves who steal cars in the cities of Goma and Bukavu and allegedly sell them in Uganda.

Another of those who have been in prison for some time, is Ibrahim Makenga, who is also the brother of Gen. Sultani Emmanuel Makenga.This man, who is currently the Deputy Director of the Directorate of Security and Intelligence (DSR) in South Kivu province, was reportedly imprisoned for crimes including corruption and embezzlement.

After his release, he reportedly returned to his duties, unlike Manzi Musonerwa, who was his boss who was arrested and imprisoned on charges of dealing in stolen cars.Manzi, who is the brother-in-law of the North Kivu provincial government, Bahati Musanga Erasto, was immediately sent to command Masisi after his release.

Those involved in the gold trade were also imprisoned

Among the AFC M23 senior soldiers who were imprisoned were those who were allegedly involved in the trade of precious stones, shortly after M23 had taken over the city of Bukavu.

Many of these stones are said to have been looted in the first major city in South Kivu province.

These include the AFC/M23 military spokesman, Lt. Col Willy Ngoma, who was detained for three weeks at the end of July this year on the orders of Gen. Makenga. He was allegedly involved in the illegal trade of gold that was allegedly looted in Bukavu.

Colonel Julien Mahano Barutuje, who is currently the deputy director of M23 intelligence, is said to have been investigated for corruption and dealing in gold with Chinese investors. Although he was able to remain in his position, he was eventually transferred and sent to work in Masisi.

Meanwhile, an officer named François Kazarama is said to be still in prison in Tchanzu for killing a person who lived in his house in the city of Bukavu.

Gen. Makenga continues to be a source of frustration for his aides, while he is often heard criticizing the corruption, theft and embezzlement of funds carried out by the DRC government; some of the reasons he cites as making him choose to take up arms and fight it..