The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is set to construct the first Mountain warfare specialized training institute that will train and equip the armed to secure and guarantee security on all Ugandan mountains, Chimp Corps report.
The President revealed Friday by President Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda people’s Defense Forces.
The president made the remarks at Kyanjuki in Kilembe division at the foot of mount Rwenzori in Kasese district where he was witnessing a military exercise by the Uganda People’s defense forces who are undergoing a mountain warfare training course.
The development comes high on the heels of increased insecurity in the Rwenzori and Elgon regions.
Dozens were killed in the recent clashes in the Rwenzori area. President Museveni would later take a trip to the area to assess the army’s preparedness to deal with possible instability in the mountainous region.
Museveni taking a tour of the training facility
Museveni yesterday told the Wanainchi at Kyanjuki village shortly after witnessing the exercise that increased training of the UPDF on mountain warfare was necessitated by the need to secure the Ugandan Mountains whose security he said is not only important to those living near them but also for tourism.
He said it was important for the UPDF to have a specialized institute to train a force specifically for the security of the mountain and greatly commended the French government for the support they are rendering Uganda in this endeavor.
“These places like the Rwenzori Mountains are very beautiful and we should cherish them and make them safe. Even non-Ugandans love them; that’s why you see them coming here every day and visiting to see them and as a country we earn from them,” he said.
A soldier uses a rope to cross a river during the training exercise
The President, who earlier inspected a number of modern equipments used in mountain warfare training and operations such as Mountain climbing and river crossing, said that although the UPDF has been doing a good job in securing the mountains, “it’s important in this modern era for a country like Uganda to have an institute and a specialized force dedicated to the security of the Mountains.”
The French Ambassador to Uganda Ms Sophie Makame said that the French governm