The Uganda contingent under the East African Regional Force (EACRF) has said it has finally got instructions to withdraw from eastern DRC where it has been on a peacekeeping mission since March this year.
“The UPDF contingent has finally received its withdraw orders from the strategic headquarters to pull out its forces which had been operating in the Eastern part of DRC as a peacekeeping force under EACRF,” the Ugandan contingent spokesperson, Capt Kato Ahmad Hassan said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“We have started preparations to execute the withdraw operations to leave DRC as directed by the strategic. “
The East African Community Regional Force(EACRF) early this week started its withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of Congo after Kinshasa refused to renew its mandate.
The withdrawal started with the Kenyan contingent.
East African heads of state earlier last year agreed to have a regional troop deployment in DRC amidst the tension caused by the fighting between M23 rebels and government troops.
The regional troops would later help secure several areas which were previously in the hands of the M23 rebels but also occupied those vacated by the rebels.
However last month, following a summit on 25 November, the East African Community announced that the DRC “would not renew the mandate of the regional force beyond 8 December 2023”.
This coincided with an agreement signed by DRC allowing the Southern African Development Community (SADC) force to replace the departing EAC Regional Force.
According to the Ugandan contingent spokesperson, the troops will be withdrawn in a phased manner.
“ UPDF will conduct withdraw operation of its forces and equipment in a phased manner, gradual, orderly and sequentially commencing from December, 8, 2023 to January,7, 2024 so as to curtail any disruption that can lead to any security space.”
Capt Kato said UPDF will ensure to expedite the pullout of its forces and equipment within the approved timelines as enshrined in the extra ordinary meeting of East African CDFs held on December, 6 2023.
“The Ugandan contingent urges all armed groups to facilitate the withdraw of the UPDF troops by observing total cease fire so as to allow the forces exit from the mission area safely. “
