The Ugandan military, the UPDF, mocked Habyarimana Mbitsemunda known as Jules Mulumba, who announced that they had entered Rutshuru territory to help the M23 armed group against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Soldiers.
Mulumba, the head of the Nyatura CMC armed group, and the spokesperson of the Wazalendo groups, has been accusing the Ugandan army of helping M23 in various parts of the North Kivu province where there is a war, UPDF spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye, on February 15, 2024 announced that the photo Mulumba used in his message was of Ugandan soldiers who were part of the peacekeeping mission of the East African Community.
He said, “The UPDF has seen the lies spread by Jules Mulumba that the UPDF is in Rutshuru! To support his claim, he used photographs of our forces in the East Africa Region, the EACRF. This photo was taken when the former Ugandan forces of the EACRF were in Tshengerero on the Bunagana-Rutshuru road towards Goma, not Sake.”
Brig Gen Kulayigye reminded that Mulumba is the Spokesperson of the Wazalendo and FDLR groups together, pointing out that accusing the UPDF of participating in the war in North Kivu province is looking for an excuse for the reason for the defeat by M23.
The soldier explained that the Ugandan army was last in Rutshuru while they were on the EAC mission, that they cannot enter into the problems of the RDC unless they are appealed to by the region.
In October 2023, Brig Kulayigye also announced that the Ugandan army does not support M23, explaining that if they did, the war would change its face, history like what happened under the government of Laurent Désiré Kabila would repeat itself.
