We’ll attack Mande rebels, says Mbabazi
By Alex B. Atuhaire
Dissident UPDF officer Col. Samson Mande is organising a rebel force in Democratic Republic of Congo, the Defence Minister said yesterday.
Mbabazi told a press conference at International Conference Centre, Kampala that the army will attack positions of Mande’s People’s Redemption Army (PRA) “in due course”.
Mbabazi was responding to questions on denials by Mande that he heads the said PRA.
“I know for sure that they (PRA) exist. They have issued press statements before, signed by Mande himself. If he [Mande] has chosen to dissolve it then that’s good news but they are still active,” Mbabazi said.
Mande issued a statement dated Nov. 23, 2002, denying that he and Lt. Col. Anthony Kyakabale are fighting the Uganda government.
Mande said PRA is a creation of Col. Noble Mayombo, the chief of military intelligence.
“This is the usual way of creating imaginary enemies in order to justify spending a lot of money through the Ministry of Defence under cover of classified expenditure,” Mande said.
Mande and Kyakabale fled to Rwanda in 2001.
Yesterday, Mbabazi said that the army has arrested a PRA soldier who had crossed from Congo to Kinkiizi and he would soon be paraded.
“He is being held somewhere. He is being interrogated,” he said.
Mbabazi said the UPDF would cross and attack the PRA positions in Congo.
“Our job is to attack them all the time. They should be ready,” the Minister said.
“The question of timing is ours,” Mbabazi said.
