It is now public information that the Government of Uganda (GoU) is going to deploy our medical experts to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to combat the Ebola scourge that is devastating people in eastern DRC. According to Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, all preparations are almost complete, and 160 medics will be stationed in Kasenyi, Ituri Province, and Aru in northern DRC to assist Congolese medics who are currently battling the Ebola scourge with little progress in curbing it.
According to Kyabayinze, the GoU, under the guidance of President Museveni, decided to assist DRC and fight the Ebola scourge where it is emanating. Indeed, it makes a lot of sense. Rather than keeping us on tenterhooks, as we do border screenings and endless border patrolling for those who are trying to sneak into Uganda for treatment, it is much better to go in and battle the pandemic from its source across the border in eastern DRC.
The Congolese know very well that Uganda has good expertise in controlling Ebola. As a country, we have since attained a lot of expertise through international collaborations like the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to rush and assist our neighbours. Indeed, it is in the spirit of East African Cooperation and the virtues of Ubuntu that define Uganda and, to a greater extent, President Museveni.
One of the four pillars of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government ideology is Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism seeks to unify, empower and uplift people of African descent. Rooted in the belief that Africans on the continent and the global diaspora share a common history and destiny. As Ugandans, we owe it to the Congolese brothers to give a helping hand, especially in such times of great need. As we promote cultural and economic cooperation, plus political self-determination. It is then imperative that we combine efforts to defeat this scourge together.
Some naysayers are already up in arms, talking of how Uganda is making a mistake of throwing its medics at the epicentre of the deadly disease. They are saying President Museveni is risking the lives of our experts beyond our borders. This is unfortunate. If Uganda cannot make sacrifices for its neighbour, then who should?
After all, this is not the first time Uganda has come out to give DRC a helping hand. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is in Congo, assisting the Congolese national force to flush out the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists in Ituri Province. The joint UPDF and FARDC Operation Shujaa has severely degraded the ADF in Ituri Province, neutralising hundreds of fighters, recovering weapons caches and rescuing hundreds of abductees.
Uganda is constructing key strategic roads in eastern DRC to ease trade between the two countries. Currently, Uganda is co-funding and actively constructing a $334m, 223-kilometre road network, deep inside the DRC to boost cross-border trade and regional security. The joint strategic infrastructure project links Uganda to key eastern Congo cities, including Beni, Butembo and Goma.
Similar negative sentiments were expressed in 2007 when Uganda made the patriotic decision to deploy the UPDF in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab terrorists that were wreaking havoc across East Africa. Most sceptics, including politicians like Hon Ssemujju Nganda, the former Kiira Municipality MP, and top commentators like New Vision columnist Opiyo Oloya, wrote authoritatively that the UPDF mission in Somalia was dead on arrival. Hon Ssemujju predicted doom for the UPDF, arguing that there is no way UPDF can succeed where the American forces had failed.
The giant strategist and devotee Pan-Africanist, President Museveni, ignored the doomsayers and deployed in Somalia. Not only did the mighty UPDF succeed in winning battles, where Americans had failed, it ended the political mayhem that had characterised Somalia for decades. Although there are still pockets of insurgency, what is clear is that Al-Shabaab has been defeated.
Therefore, Ebola can be defeated, but only through robust interstate cooperation, cross-border surveillance and multinational solidarity. Because the virus spreads rapidly across porous borders and can strain isolated health systems, localised efforts must be scaled into regional strategies to contain outbreaks effectively.