French train Ugandan troops for mountain warfare

French Alpine troops are training a new Ugandan army unit to help combat violence in the mountainous western Kasese district that has seen at least 50 people killed since February.

In a statement following a visit to Kasese on Saturday, President Yoweri Museveni said: “This training of the UPDF [Uganda People’s Defense Force] in mountain warfare is necessitated to secure the Ugandan mountains for the security of those living nearby and for tourism.”

French instructors are training 350 local troops to quell ethnic violence that erupted after the February election. In April, the army launched Operation Peace in Rwenzori to flush out bandits around Mount Rwenzori.