ADF Leader Jamil Mukulu Arrested

Ugandan officials have confirmed the arrest of Jamil Mukulu, the leader of the Islamist group Allied Defense Forces (ADF). Mukulu was captured by Tanzanian security officials after a manhunt lasting over a decade, and will be repatriated to Uganda. Uganda has had an outstanding arrest warrant on Jamil Mukulu since 2002. Jamil Mukulu allegedly utilized over ten passports and false identities to evade arrest until now, and was hiding out in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. The Allied Defense Forces have had a resurgence lately, committing several massacres in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. UN peacekeepers also reported the death of another ADF leader after an ambush on ADF militants, and the DRC military has also announced the death of ADF third in command Kasada Karume after a protracted battle in North Kivu.

Sheikh Jamil Mukulu, as reported on earlier on Free Fire, was apparently a personal contact of Usama bin Laden, and the ADF received funding from sources connected to Al-Qaeda. Bin Laden seems to have viewed the ADF as an ideal candidate for building an Islamist network in Africa. If Al Qaeda has maintained links with the ADF, then perhaps they were planning to build up the group along with Al Shabaab as a counterbalance to the Islamic State affiliated Boko Haram. Should Al Shabaab split from Al Qaeda and join up with Islamic State, Al Qaeda will find itself with very few notable allies in Africa.