DRC President Tshisekedi Donates 10 Pickup Trucks to UPDF’s Operation Shujaa

What the report says

President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has donated 10 brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser pickup trucks to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) units involved in Operation Shujaa, according to Watchdog Uganda. The handover took place in Beni, in eastern DRC, during a ceremony led by North Kivu Governor Maj. Gen. Somo Kakule Evariste, who represented Tshisekedi.

The gift was described as recognition of the UPDF’s role in the joint campaign with the Congolese army, the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC), against Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants. The governor said the vehicles were meant to improve mobility and operational effectiveness as the two militaries continue efforts to neutralize remaining fighters and restore stability in the region.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Mugerwa, who received the vehicles for the UPDF and the Government of Uganda, conveyed thanks from President Yoweri Museveni and the UPDF leadership. He said the partnership with the DRC remains committed to pursuing the ADF until the group is dismantled. The article says Operation Shujaa, launched in November 2021, has helped improve security in parts of North Kivu and Ituri, enabled some displaced people to return home, and supported reopening schools and cross-border trade.

More broadly, the report places the donation within the wider Uganda-DRC security cooperation against the ADF, a group blamed for violence in both eastern DRC and western Uganda. This is background context reported by Watchdog Uganda; readers should note that the article presents these as military claims and assessments from officials involved in the operation.