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In the Mwalika Valley, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a joint operation conducted by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) resulted in a combat engagement with the notorious Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group, led by Abu Waqas. During the operation, 14 women were rescued from the ADF’s captivity.

In the Mwalika Valley in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) engaged in combat with the notorious Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group led by Abu Waqas, where 14 women were rescued.

The fight took place near the meeting point of the River Talha and Semliki on the evening of July 17^th 2023. A Burundian national who served as Abu Waqas’s wife and had served in the ADF for five years is one of individuals who were apprehended with the group.

The united troops are still chasing the ADF. The massacre of 37 students at Lhubiriha Senior Secondary School on June 16^th 2023 was carried out by Abu Waqas’s organisation. At the UPDF Operation Shujaa tactical headquarters in Kasindi, Maj Gen Dick Olum, the overall commander of Operation Shujaa, met with Maj Gen Kasongo Maloba, the commander of the FARDC Beni sector.

The commanders talked about matters pertaining to Operation Shujaa and provided tactical and operational advice to the commanders. The gathering acted as a pre-review meeting to set the stage for the upcoming Fort Portal City, Uganda, Operation Shujaa review meeting. The UPDF/FARDC Joint operation was praised by both commanders for its victories over the ADF. The meeting was attended by the UPDF and FARDC brigade commanders for Operation Shujaa.