Allied Democratic Forces The Allied Democratic Forces ( ADF ) is a rebel group opposed to the Uganda n government . It is based in western Uganda with rear bases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It began as a minor group in the forested Ruwenzori mountain range along the border in 1996 , but expanded its activities over the next several years . As of 2004 , the ADF had been largely destroyed by the Uganda Peoples Defense Force ( UPDF ) . The Alliance of Democratic Forces is made up of Ugandan opposition forces , supported by the Government of Sudan , which fought the Government of Uganda . Establishment . The ADF was formed by puritanical Muslim Ugandans of the Tabliq sect who merged with the remnants of another rebel group , the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda . The main figure of the group was Jamil Mukulu , a former Catholic . The members were largely from central Uganda , in particular Iganga , Masaka and Kampala , and portray themselves as religious crusaders . Beyond this vaguely stated religious ideology and statements that the government discriminates against Tabliqs , the ADF has given few coherent rationales for their insurgency . The ADF chose western Uganda apparently for three reasons : terrain that is ideal for a rural insurgency , proximity to the DRC where the rebels could set up bases and recruit fighters , and the presence of some Ugandan ethnic groups unfriendly to the government that could offer assistance . Activity . During civil war . While the ADF carried on occasional attacks in 1996 , they were largely ignored by the government . This changed in 1997 when the rebels sharply increased the number of attacks . Most were aimed at soft target s , such as camps of internally displaced person s ( IDPs ) and small villages , though an ambush of UPDF soldiers in Kasese district raised eyebrows . The number of incidents increased in 1998 , a fact that some people blame on the lack of UPDF alpine units to track and fight the rebels in the mountains . A number of bomb blasts markets and restaurants in Kampala and elsewhere were blamed on the ADF . In the west , hundreds of civilians were murdered , large numbers of land mines were laid , attacks were made on civilian , police and UPDF locations . The number of IDPs rose to over 80 , 000 . In February 1998 , 30 students were abducted from a college in Kasese , while in June 80 college students were burned alive after they barricaded themselves in their dormitory to keep the ADF rebels out . The abduction of youth , as well as numerous acts of brutality , led many to compare it to the Lord ' s Resistance Army activities in the north of the country . In 1999 the government gained the upper hand , forcing the ADF from their bases and into small bands that had to constantly move to escape UPDF forces . The government claims that their military presence , and the presence of Ugandan - backed proxy forces in the DRC , was vital in attacking these bases and cutting off supply lines . Despite this , the ADF gained a large number of weapons and some military training . The UPDF blamed the government of Sudan for supporting the ADF in retaliation for Ugandan support for the Sudan People ' s Liberation Army . Other government officials suggested that DRC President Laurent Kabila was arming the ADF through the Hutu ex - FAR / Interahamwe armed groups fighting in eastern Congo as part of his efforts to expel the foreign forces . The ADF was cooperating with the various Kabila - allied forces operating in the region . While fighting continued into 2000 and there have been sporadic attacks , the UPDF was largely successful in destroying the insurgency and securing the Ugandan conflict areas . A small ADF remnant remained in eastern Congo as of December 2004 . In December 2005 , UN and Congolese troops launched the Operation North Night Final , in order to destroy the rebel group and bring peace to the troubled Ituri district . Insurgency . 2007 to 2008 . During March 2007 , the UPDF engaged incursive ADF groups in multiple firefights , killing at least 46 in Bundibugyo and Mubende districts . The biggest battle occurred on March 27 , when the UPDF faced an estimated 60 ADF troops and killed 34 , including three senior commanders . The UPDF claimed to have retrieved numerous weapons as well as documents that tie the ADF to the LRA . On April 13 , 2007 , the UPDF and ADF engaged in an intense battle inside the Semuliki National Park , near the upscale Semliki Lodge tourist destination . Ceasefire and amnesty talks between the government of Uganda and the ADF were held in Nairobi starting in May 2008 . Negotiations were complicated by the fragmentation of the ADF ' s leadership . Non - combatant dependents of the ADF were repatriated to Uganda by the IOM . At least 48 ADF fighters surrendered and were given amnesty . As the threat from the LRA in the DRC waned , the UPDF put increasing focus on the ADF as a reason for UPDF personnel to remain in the DRC . 2013 Resurgence . In April 2013 , it was reported that ADF started a recruitment campaign in Kampala and other parts of the country . Citing a defector from ADF , " allAfrica " reported that some 10 new recruits joined ADF forces every day . In July 2013 the ADF renewed its fighting in the Congolese district of Beni . According to the UN Radio Okapi , the ADF together with the NALU , fought a pitched battle with the FARD , briefly taking the towns of Mamundioma and Totolito . On July 11 , the ADF attacked the town of Kamango , triggering the flight of over 60 , 000 refugees across the border into the Ugandan district of Bundibugyo . Early in September 2013 , regional leaders under the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region ( ICGLR ) asked the recently formed combative Intervention Brigade under MONUSCO to attack positions of foreign negative forces operating in DRC , including the ADF . In late September 2013 , 3 people were killed and 30 abducted during an ADF attack in the Watalinga Sector , North Kivu , DR Congo . Omar Kavota , the vice president and spokesman of the local civil society in North Kivu condemned the abductions . According to the civil society , the abductees also included eight miners . Foreign involvement . The DRC government , citing civil society groups in North Kivu , claims that Al - Shabaab fighters from Somalia are collaborating with the ADF .