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| The military chief of Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebels, Sultani Makenga (2nd L) |
Kampala — The military chief of Democratic Republic of Congo's
defeated M23 rebels, Sultani Makenga, has been placed under military
protection in the Ugandan capital, a Ugandan intelligence officer told
AFP Tuesday.
"He is in a safe house in Kampala but for security
reasons we cannot reveal the location," the officer said on condition of
anonymity. He added that the Ugandan army "is providing necessary
security".
Makenga is wanted by the authorities in neighbouring DR
Congo, and is accused of participating in several massacres,
mutilations, abductions and sexual violence, sometimes against children.
He is on both United Nations and United States sanctions lists.
He
led the mainly ethnic-Tutsi M23 force, which mutinied from the
Congolese army 18 months ago. He fled to Uganda earlier in November with
virtually his entire rebel force after a bruising defeat at the hands
of the Congolese army, backed by UN forces.
Uganda's defence
spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Paddy Ankunda, said the fighters who fled
with Makenga had been moved to a new site at Kasese, in western Uganda
and close to the DRC border.
"We have under our protection 1,320
fighters of the M23," Ankunda told AFP, adding that rebel commanders
were also in the camp, not only foot soldiers. "These were fighters,
they had guns but we disarmed them."
Ugandan officers had
initially said 1,500 or 1,700 men from the M23 had fled to Uganda, but
many analysts considered that figure to be inflated.
The UN has accused both Uganda and neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23. Both countries have denied the charges.
DR
Congo's UN-backed forces made short work of the M23 in a fresh
offensive launched last month, and both sides had been expected to sign a
peace deal last week.
However, the process collapsed at the last
minute with the government rejecting the idea of signing a binding
agreement with a defeated group.
More about M23
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