JAKARTA - Uganda will send 1,000 troops to neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo by the end of this month, to join a regional force mandated to help end decades of instability, the Kamala military said Monday.
The seven East African Community States (EAC), which joined the Congo this year, agreed in April to form troops to fight militia groups in the eastern part of the turbulent Congo.
Uganda will be the third country to deploy troops after contingents from Kenya and Burundi arrive in the area, said Ugandan military spokesman Felix Kulayigye.
However, their involvement was opposed by several activist groups and officials for Uganda's role in the Congolese-blooded civil war.
In September, Uganda paid Congo $ 65 million, the first installment of a total of US $ 325 million, in compensation for losses caused by Ugandan troops occupying the Congo region in the 1990s.
The East Congo has hosted hundreds of Ugandan troops, who were deployed nearly a year ago under separate bilateral arrangements, to help hunt down the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group allied with ISIS.
Although billions of dollars were spent on one of the United Nations' largest peacekeeping forces, more than 120 armed groups continue to operate in much of the eastern region of Congo, including the M23 rebels, which Congo has repeatedly accused of supporting Rwanda. Kigali denied the allegations.
Speaking at Kinshasa after a meeting with President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday, Kenyan President William Ruto said Design would honor its commitment to helping stabilize eastern Congo. Kenyan Parliament has approved the deployment of 900 troops there.
"The peaceful, safe and stable Democratic Republic of the Congo is not only good for the Congolese people, but also good for the people of our region," Ruto said.
He added that the East African Community would do anything to help realize Congo's stability.
The M23 group has carried out a major offensive this year, capturing territory, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and sparking a diplomatic dispute between Congo and Rwanda.
On Friday, the EAC said former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and Rwandan President Paul Kagame agreed to the need for M23 rebels to stop fire and withdraw from captured territory.
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