© CC/Andrew Regan
The Ugandan Parliament.
On Tuesday, the Parliamentary Budget Committee blocked a request for military funding. This money was intended for the Ugandan army’s military operation in eastern Congo called Shujaa. The soldiers officially entered the DRC on December 3 to attack the Ugandan rebel group ADF. But the Ministry of Defense did not consult the parliamentarians beforehand, resulting in the anger of the elected officials who inflicted a snub on it.
Parliamentarians did not at all appreciate being presented with a fait accompli when Ugandan soldiers entered the Congo. So on Tuesday, when the Defense representatives came to ask them for $26 million to finance Operation Shujaa, the members of the Budget Committee showed their disagreement.
« Parliament is still awaiting explanations. And there you are asking us for 26 million. But on what basis? For me, this money should be blocked until we have been informed. See this casualness as if it were their own private enterprise. No, no, no and no protested Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, from Kira constituency.
The sum must finance logistics, military and communication equipment or salaries. But parliamentarians are still wondering about the opacity of the operation.
« Parliament is even empowered to know the exit strategy of our troops from the Congo. But there, we don’t even know how many soldiers were sent, how many died, or how many were captured by the terrorists “, notes the opposition MP John Baptiste Nambeshe.
The Minister of Defense acknowledged a lack of communication, explaining that the adversary had to be surprised. However, the freezing of this money should not jeopardize the operation.
« If we don’t get that money, we will have to dip into the budget allocated to other areas of defence. So the budget committee has to consider this request “, pleads Rose Mary Nyikikongoro, president of the Committee in charge of the Defense.
These 26 million must finance the operation from July and this for twelve months. Proof that the Ugandan incursion is a long-term one.