President Yoweri Museveni is in London, United Kingdom for a two day working visit during which he will attend and address the Somalia Conference taking place at the Lancaster House today.
The President, who is accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataha Museveni was received by Lord Dolar Popat, Member of the UK House of Lords, H.E Peter West the UK High Commissioner to Uganda, Uganda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Prof. Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda and the Minister of Defence Adolf Mwesige.
The President will also hold a bilateral meeting with the United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May focusing on South Sudan and Somalia before both leaders attend the opening ceremony of the London Somalia Conference at Lancaster House. He is expected to hold various bilateral meetings with among others the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Hon. Boris Johnson
Uganda was the first country to deploy troops under AMISOM into Somalia in March 2007. So far, Uganda has provided all four AMISOM Force Commanders with the most recent being Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti who was replaced by Lt. Gen. Silas Ntigurirwa from Burundi.
The Ugandan contingent remains the largest contingent in AMISOM with 6,223 troops based in Sector 1 which comprises of Banadir (Mogadishu), Middle and Lower Shabelle regions.
Until now, Uganda has deployed 12 battle groups into the Mission area, with the recently deployed Battle Group 12 joining their Burundian counterparts in Baidoa.
