Uganda to extend stay of troops in CAR to help fight rebel group

The Ugandan military on Wednesday said it will extend the stay of its troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) for a couple of months following requests by the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).

Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, the Ugandan military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that AU and EU have requested the East African country to extend the mandate of its contingent involved in the AU-led Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of LRA (RCI-LRA)for another one year.

Uganda's military high command in April this year announced the planned withdrawal of the 2,500 strong Uganda People's Defense Force troops by October.

"EU and AU wrote to us requesting not to pull our troops until next year. The final decision has not been taken. But we shall be there for a couple of months," said Ankunda.

The AU Peace and Security Council in June requested Ugandan authorities to reconsider their decision to withdraw the troops.

The Council argued that the withdrawal could create a security vacuum, which the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and other rebel forces could exploit to escalate their activities in the region.

The Council recommended that the troops' mandate be extended up to May 2017.

The Ugandan authorities however believe that the LRA has been degraded and no longer has means to fight.

Uganda contributes part of the troops under the AU led RCI-LRA, which was launched in March 2012 to help in the elimination of the LRA and the stabilization of areas affected by the activities of LRA.

The LRA is a Ugandan rebel group, which was flashed out of the country in 2006 after a two-decade-long insurgency that left tens of thousands of people dead and over two million others homeless. Enditem