On September 28th, Member of Parliament Juvénal Munubo Mubi submitted an oral question for debate to the President of the National Assembly’s office. This move aims to seek clarification from the Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding testimonies of Uganda’s alleged annexation of a portion of the Busanza Grouping, located in the Rutshuru territory. The questions raised primarily revolve around confirming the annexation of this area and inquiring about the government’s measures to preserve the integrity of the national territory.
The Busanza Grouping is largely under the control of the M23 rebel group, making it challenging to gather reliable information. Independent sources have not been able to either confirm or refute these allegations at this time.
In this tense context, the DRC and Uganda have previously conflicted land demarcation, particularly in the Rutshuru territory, especially in the Ishasha area, located in the Binza Grouping.
In some regions, border boundaries remain unclear, and border markers are distant or nonexistent, particularly around the village of Kitagoma.
The situation varies from one area to another, with cases where Ugandan populations occasionally lease Congolese land for cultivation, such as potatoes.
Relations between the DRC and Uganda have been marked by some ambiguity despite joint military operations. These allegations have the potential to further exacerbate this atmosphere of distrust.
For instance, in June 2022, the Congolese National Assembly suspended the ratification of agreements with Uganda, claiming that Kampala had betrayed Kinshasa by entering into agreements with Kigali.