On December 5, 2021 when the Uganda government launched a road-building project in Congo, this tweet shared multiple images of military vehicles and a fighter jet.
The tweet claimed that the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) was using military vehicles and jets for this project.
Background
According to Reuters, sites for the roads to be constructed were handed over to Dott Services Limited, a Ugandan construction firm. This project looks to open the Eastern part of DRC to cross-border trade with Uganda.
Reuters adds “it will also enable Uganda to make up for export lost after Rwanda shut down its common border more than two years ago.”
Verification
The first image showing army troops was initially published on Getty Images as early as October 20, 2015, according to a Google reverse image search. Getty Images adds, these Uganda People’s Defence Force troops stationed in Bor, were getting ready to leave Sudan after two years of civil war.
The second image according to another Google reverse image search was published on November 21, 2021 by the Daily Monitor and later featured on Africa-Press on the same day. This image was taken during a security operation in Karamoja, north-eastern Uganda. During this operation, nine cattle rustlers were killed in a period of one week.
The third, showing an image of a jet-fighter with a Ugandan flag on the tail was published on October 4, 2015. This AF 015, Sukhoi, SU-30-MKI is an aircraft purchased by the Ugandan Air Force, according to AirPics, an aviation photography database.
The last photo, referred to as a CAESAR 8×8 self-propelled gun-howitzer, was published on November 6, 2019. According to the Defense Brief, the Denmark government procured this artillery weapon from Nexter Group, a French company.
From these reverse image searches, it is evident these military vehicles are not being used in road construction in Congo. However, according to NTV Uganda, both UNRA and Congolese military engineers are part of this project.
Verdict
NO, these images do not show Ugandan artillery weapons being used to construct roads in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
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