Uganda will withdraw all her troops from Somalia by the end of next year, foreign minister Sam Kahamba Kutesa, has confirmed.
Speaking in Kigali where he had gone to attend the 27th Summit of the Africa Union, Kutesa said Uganda’s withdrawal of about 7000 troops serving under the Africa Union mission in Somalia (Amisom) was aimed at assisting war ravaged Horn of Africa country form its own national army. “What we are interested in is to make sure we create a situation where the people of Somalia take over the security because we cannot be there forever,” he said, adding: “Uganda is not interested in perpetuating peacekeeping missions without a foreseeable outcome.”
Somalia has been given to the end of 2017 to have its national force in place, and even if “by the end of next year it’s not taking shape, we shall have no business there,” Kutesa said.
Recently, the Amisom was hit by setbacks after the European Union, the main funder of the contingent, scaled down on its financial contribution, lowering the take home for a soldier serving under the mission by about US$200, a development Kutesa described as a ‘handicap’.
While a “reduction in resources hampers our activities in maintaining peace and security there temporarily, the long-term solution is for Somalia to shoulder its own responsibilities,” Kutesa said.
Uganda first deployed soldiers in Somalia in 2007 as part of the effort to battle Islamist group al-Shabaab. Kenya, Burundi and Ethiopia also have troops serving with Amisom, which has fought alongside Somalia’s army to recapture territory including Mogadishu from the militants.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Osman Noor Soubagleh of Djibouti has taken over as the new Amisom commander and one of his main tasks is to ensure the country holds elections under a peaceful political atmosphere, Amisom head Francisco Madeira, said.
Lt Gen Soubagleh, who served as Chief of Defence Staff of the AMISOM Force between 2012 and 2013, takes over from Lt Gen Jonathan Kipkemoi Rono of Kenya, who has been force commander since 2015.
