Uganda has reintegrated Congolese police officers who ran away from violence

A Ugandan military spokesperson announced on Friday that the nearly 100 Congolese police officers who had escaped across the border to the Kanungu district in southeastern Uganda to evade the conflict between the Congolese military and M23 rebels had been returned to Uganda.

The statement stated that the police officers’ national identities had been verified and that they had been permitted to enter Uganda in accordance with international law and as a gesture of humanity.

According to Major Kiconco Tabaro, a spokesperson for the Ugandan military, the officers, together with their weapons, ammunition, and other armaments, were transferred. In an effort to flee the persistent violence in eastern Congo, Tabaro reported that refugees were still crossing the Ugandan boundary.

Congo’s militia-infested eastern region has been the scene of a resurgent insurgency by the M23 since 2022. The M23 gained control of Kanyabayonga in June, a town situated on elevated terrain that serves as a gateway to other regions of the North Kivu province in eastern Congo.

In the past year, Congo’s military has increased its efforts to repel the rebels by employing drones and aircraft. However, the rebels have continued to expand the territory under their control.

According to U.N. estimates, the number of Congolese displaced by multiple conflicts has reached a record high of 7.2 million as a result of the fighting in North Kivu, which has displaced over 1.7 million individuals from their residences..