Uganda plays significant role in AMISOM troops in Somalia

Ahmed Adel

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, received hundreds of new Ugandan soldiers, serving in AMISOM troops in Somalia.

Deployed in March 2007 to Mogadishu, AMISOM started life with an initial contingent of about 1,600 Ugandan soldiers who were largely confined to a few strategic locations in Mogadishu.

In October 2015, head of the United States’ Military Africa Command, General David M. Rodriguez awarded six Ugandan military officials with US Legion of Merit on his visit to Uganda.

The UN Security Council wants AMISOM to gradually handover the national security to the Somali National Army by 2020.

In June 2016, the African Union Peace and Security Council decided a gradual reduction of its forces in Somalia.

In November 2017, it said 1,000 African soldiers would be pulled out by 2018. AMISOM forces total 22,000 troops in Somalia.

Researcher Amira Abdel Halim, an expert on African affairs, said the Ugandan troops play a significant role in AMISOM to safeguard the security situation in Somalia.

“This role is important as the situation worsens in the wake of increasing terrorist operations in Mogadishu and other attacks carried out by ISIS in other Somali territories,” she told THE REFERENCE.

“In fact, the present of AMISOM troops in Somalia should continue due to increasing terrorist operations and the weakness of the Somali forces.

As AMISOM prepares to gradually leave Somalia, al-Shabaab terrorist movement has intensified its terrorist operations, by fueling the situation in Mogadishu.  The movement has taken control of some areas while the Somali government is suffering from a political and security crisis,” she added.