Kisangani 11 June 2009– The Central African Republic (CAR) for the first time joined today Uganda and DR Congo in their monthly coordination meeting of Military Chiefs to evaluate the operations carried out by the RDC Armed Forces (FARDC) against the LRA in north-eastern DRC, with intelligence support from the Ugandan army (UPDF)’s and other support from MONUC. The MONUC Force Commander, General Babacar Gaye, also took part in the meeting.
The Chiefs of Defence of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), Uganda’s People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Central African Republic (FACA), together with military and intelligence experts from the three countries reviewed the operational situation with a view to assess progress towards rooting out the LRA in Oriental Province’s Haut-Uele district.
In a joint communiqué released at the end of the meeting, the military chiefs welcomed the participation of the Central African Republic as showing the country’s interest in the “resolution of the phenomenon of armed groups in the Region.”
The participants at the meeting agreed on the following:
“The current operations against the LRA are remarkably successful as LRA has disbanded, their strength has decreased drastically and Command and control disorganised. The LRA sanctuaries have been destroyed and its operational capacity and is struggling to survive.”
“Need for increased cooperation and intelligence sharing between the Armed Forces of DRC, Central African Republic, Uganda and Southern Sudan in order to neutralise the LRA.”
The participants commended MONUC for its “very important and decisive” support, and noted that the “protection of civilian populations is absolute priority and measures are being putting in place.”
The previous coordination meeting was held between Uganda and DRC in Dungu (Oriental Province) in March 2009, in the presence of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the DRC, Mr. Alan Doss