President Yoweri Museveni has told a meeting of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) that their role in Somalia is purely for Pan African reasons to help Somalia stabilize.
“This is a pan African venture. We are not employees of the United Nations or Somalia,” Museveni said.
The President was yesterday chairing a closed-door meeting, one of a kind, for countries contributing troops to AMISOM including Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and the host country during which they agreed to review the situation in Somalia and improve the political and military coordination to ensure that peace and security is guaranteed in the war-wary country. A member of the African Union also attended the meeting.
According to sources, top priority for Somalia is building a strong national army and taking stock of the political situation. All parties agreed to follow keenly a review on AMISOM by the United Nations Secretary General and after all TCCs would take the necessary steps.
The United Nations provides logistics, technical and training support to AMISOM and to the Somali National Army. The United Nations believes with enhanced support to AMISOM, the African Union Force, and predictable funding – along with a coordinated effort to build the Somali National Army and Police Forces – Al Shabaab can be defeated.
During the meeting, Uganda was elected as official spokesperson of the TCCs.
The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister of Somalia Hassan Ali Khare, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Desalegn Hailemariam, Foreign Affairs Minister of Kenya Amina Muhammed, Commissioner Ismael Chergui of the African Union, Allen Nyamitwe, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Burundi, Yusuf Mahmoud, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Djibouti and Abdullahi Rachid the Defence Minister of Somalia.
Uganda was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sam Kutesa, the Chief of Defence Forces Gen. David Muhoozi, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adoniya Ayebare and the Military Adviser at the Uganda Mission in New York, Maj. Gen. Silver Kayemba among others.
