In 2021, Ugandan authorities began searching for Meddie Nkalubo, who was believed to be coordinating ADF sleeper cells within Uganda. He had been hiding in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for six years.
President Museveni recently revealed that a top commander of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Meddie Nkalubo, may have been killed during UPDF airstrikes on a terrorist base in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on September 16.
The Ugandan Air Force launched attacks on four ADF terrorist targets located between 100 and 150 kilometers from the Ugandan border, specifically on the Ntoroko side. These targets were identified with the assistance of Special Duties Regiments (SDR) equipped with effective reconnaissance capabilities.
Intelligence reports suggest that a significant number of terrorists, including the notorious Meddie Nkalubo, may have been eliminated in the airstrikes. Nkalubo was known for his involvement in bombings in Kampala, including those near the Police Station, Parliament, and more recent incidents near Kayanja’s Church and in the Bunamwaya area.
But who is Meddie Nkalubo?
Nkalubo, also known as Benjamin or the “Punisher,” operated under various aliases within the ADF, such as Abul Jihad and Mohammed Ali. He joined the ADF after disappearing from Kampala in March 2016 and played a central role in the group’s adoption of jihadi imagery and propaganda techniques. Additionally, he facilitated financial transfers to the ADF from the Islamic State through intermediaries based in Kenya.
In August, Nkalubo was reportedly involved in planning an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack at the funeral of Major General Paul Lokech, the UPF deputy chief, in Pader. The police seized IED components, a suicide vest, and arrested a suspect known as Katumba Abdul, alias Ben. Nkalubo was also responsible for organizing an IED attack at a police station in the Kawempe division of Kampala on October 8, 2021. Both attacks were claimed by ISCAP/Da’esh.
Nkalubo served as the ADF’s social network director, overseeing media production and acting as an attack commander. He held various responsibilities within the ADF, including communication and propaganda, recruitment, arms fabrication, and connections with ISIL (Da’esh). Due to his senior position and responsibilities, Nkalubo was implicated in planning, directing, or participating in serious human rights violations and abuses in the DRC, according to United States authorities. The United Nations also considered him the primary suspect in several bomb plots.
Based in an ADF camp in eastern DRC, Nkalubo coordinated cells in Kampala and other locations. UN investigators reported that ex-combatants identified him as the operator of a drone used by the ADF in combat against the Congolese military, as well as a key bombmaker for the group. Nkalubo played a significant role in disseminating ISIS propaganda and instructional videos to cells not only in Uganda but also throughout the region.
Nkalubo closely collaborated with ADF’s Supreme Leader, Musa Baluku, to expand the group’s operations beyond DRC and Uganda. In October 2021, the Rwandan government arrested 13 individuals connected to the ADF within Kigali and other districts, seizing materials for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and radicalization videos. These arrests had taken place in August and September 2021 but were made public in October 2021. Rwanda has actively participated in countering the Islamic State affiliate in Mozambique.
Rwandan officials, along with detained individuals, identified Meddie Nkalubo as the mastermind behind a thwarted bombing plot in Rwanda in September 2021. Ugandan police also linked Nkalubo to bombings that occurred in Kampala and Mpigi in October 2021.
In April 2019, ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack in the DRC, carried out by the ADF. ADF collaborators and intelligence sources reported that the attack had been planned with the assistance of Meddie Nkalubo and Abwakasi. Nkalubo even provided instructions to a female suicide bomber via video call, explaining how to activate the explosive vest.
If confirmed, Nkalubo’s death would significantly impact ADF operations, which have been in disarray, leading to the abandonment of many of its bases in the DRC.
