In Eastern DR Congo, under Operation Shujaa, airstrikes were carried out to hunt down ADF rebels. These operations began in November 2021, and they have resulted in the deaths of more than eight high-ranking ADF commanders.
Meddie Nkalubo, who held the position of second-in-command within the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is believed to have been killed in an airstrike conducted by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) about ten days ago in eastern DR Congo.
President Museveni stated that their intelligence suggests Nkalubo’s demise. He mentioned, “According to subsequent intelligence, it seems that a lot of terrorists were killed, including the notorious Meddie Nkalubo.”
The army has been carefully analyzing the targets, which are located deep within the forested regions of Congo since the airstrike.
Elias Sseguya, known as Fezza, Seka Wankaba, Mzee Mubindo, Fazal, Lubangakene, Abu Aden, and Muhammad Kayiira are among the top leaders of the ADF who have been killed during Operation Shujaa.
According to a United Nations report on Eastern DRC armed groups from 2015, Ssegujja held the third position in the ADF command.
In 2015, the UN Security Council identified Mzee Mubindo, a Congolese national, as one of the pathfinders of the ADF, playing “an important role in navigating the terrain.”
In 2020, Mubindo appeared in an ADF propaganda video, urging people in Kasese to join the group or face dire consequences.
Since 2015, numerous top ADF commanders have either been killed or captured. The group’s leader, Jamil Mukulu, was apprehended in Tanzania, where he was in hiding. He was succeeded by Sheikh Musa Baluku, deputized by Hood Lukwago, who was also killed by Congolese forces in 2016. The group’s top doctor, Dr. Kasadha Kalume, was also killed by Congolese forces in April 2015.
Nkalubo assumed the second-highest position in the rebel group.
President Museveni alleged that Nkalubo was a key plotter behind bombings in Kampala City, including those near the Kampala Central Police Station, Parliament, and recent discoveries near Kayanja’s Church and in the Bunamwaya area. He warned that those involved in harming Ugandans would face the consequences.
Earlier this month, President Museveni announced that ADF rebels who surrender will be considered for amnesty, even though they have committed serious crimes that are not easily forgiven.
The ADF rebels have been accused of killing 35 people and abducting others during an attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School in Mpondwe, Kasese District, earlier this year.
However, the Amnesty Commission continues to call on ADF rebels to surrender and receive amnesty. Under the amnesty provision, rebels who turn themselves in do not face prosecution but are rehabilitated and given assistance to start a new life.
The army is still actively searching for the whereabouts of several other top ADF leaders, including Baluku, the group leader; Simba Amigo, also known as Mzee Amigo, an army commander; Sheikh Kabila Katende, a military commander and high-ranking Islamic cleric in the ADF; Canada Kibuye, a military commander who previously led Camp Canada, also known as JNBG camp; Rafiki; and Jamil Muzzanganda, alias Armorer Man, who is in charge of ADF’s weaponry and was a primary bomb-maker for the group.