M23 military leader arrested

Dar es Salaam.His military career that started in Uganda when he joined the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1990 ended in the same country yesterday when he surrendered to the Ugandan authorities following the defeat of his M23 rebel army in Eastern Congo earlier this week.

Brigadier General Emanuel Sultani Makenga, the military leader of M23, was arrested alongside 1,000 troops in Uganda, according to the New Vision, a government-owned newspaper.

It wasn’t clear why Brigadier General Makenga, who joined the RPF in Uganda at the age of 17 after dropping out of school in DRC chose to surrender to the Ugandan authorities instead of Rwanda’s, a country accused by UN group of experts of backing his rebellion.

His arrest, besides being reported by Uganda’s New Vision newspaper, was also broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday evening.

However, The Citizen couldn’t independently verify the news on the arrest of the M23 military commander.

Earlier, there had been conflicting reports on his whereabouts, with some hinting that he escaped to Rwanda while other sources said he was in some safe house in Uganda.

Some reports said he was with 1,000 troops, others put the figure at 1,500 while certain sources insisted the general had with him 1,700 soldiers who have been disarmed and held in a secret location

“He is with our forces, yes; Makenga has crossed into Uganda with some of his men, he is with us,” a senior Ugandan military officer told AFP, but refused to clarify if he had formally surrendered or was under arrest.

Speaking to the New Vision, Kisoro District Police Commander, Bosco Otim, confirmed that Makenga and over 1,000 of his troops were being held at Mugahangi and will be relocated to Kisoro military barracks.

Another Ugandan official who did not want to be named told the British news agency, Reuters: “I can confirm to you he is with us.”

At the same time, a Ugandan government spokesman told BBC that no decision had yet been made on whether he would be handed over to the DR Congo.

With regard to the possible decision to handle him over, the spokesperson told BBC a decision would have to wait until a peace deal is signed between DRC and the M23 rebels, which is expected this weekend.

The capture of Makenga, 40, a one-time colonel in the DRC army, is seen as a major step towards a long peace process as many had questioned the abrupt surrender of his group and that the general could be on a tactical retreat for regrouping.