Deployment in Somalia is for combat not for the money; Museveni condemns laxity of Ugandan forces

In what appears to be an indictment on the command of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, the Commander in Chief, Gen Yoweri Museveni has lashed out at the apparent laxity that led to overrun of a military base manned by Ugandan forces in war-torn Somalia.

Reports last week indicate that Al-Shabab militants early Friday stormed a military base manned by African Union forces from Uganda. The dawn attack took place in Bulo Marer, an agricultural town in Lower Shabelle region, about 110 kilometers south of Mogadishu. The reports say fierce fighting occurred but there are no clear indications of the number of casualties. The attackers issued messages on various social media platforms claiming they were overrunning the base.

In a letter addressed to Ugandans, circulated by the Presidential Press Unit, Gen Museveni terms the attack as unfortunate. “We had an unfortunate incident in Somalia where our force has operated successfully, ever since 2007. In the area of Bulo-Mareer, there was an FOB (Forward Operational Base) manned by a company of UPDF soldiers.”

He explains that while the UPDF defences are strong they are guarded by light weapons and attributes the success of the attackers on laxity. “Some of the soldiers there did not perform as expected and panicked, which disorganized them and the Al-Shabaab took advantage of that to overrun the base and destroy some of the equipment,” Gen Museveni states, adding:

“The panic, it seems, was totally unnecessary because, in fact, both the anti-tank ditch and our soldiers had destroyed the 3 vehicles of explosives outside the FOB. The suicide bombers or whatever, were forced to blow themselves up before they gained entry into the base. Moreover, our UAVs were watching the whole scenario from up in the sky and directing fire.”

In an indication that there was a lapse in the command, the President said that the Commader in Chief of the UPDF, Gen Wilsom Mbadi, has instituted a board of inquiry to establish the facts and clarify on the casualties.

Museveni added that the attack was a missed opportunity for the African Union forces to wipe out a good number of the al-Shabab. “The terrorists were many, about 800 or so according to the UAVs. Hence, it was a missed opportunity, to annihilate them,” he stated, pledging that his soldiers would counter this attack to the regret of the terrorist organisation.

General Muhoozi Kainerugaba addressing UPDF troops stationed in Somalia.

The Ugandan forces are in Somalia as part of The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission (military, police and civilian), authorised by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council – AU Peace and Security Council. ATMIS became operational on 1 April 2022, taking over from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

ATMIS is mandated to fully implement the Somali Transition Plan (STP), a strategic plan that details the handover of security responsibilities from the African Union to the Federal Government of Somalia.

Uganda was the first to deploy troops under AMISOM into Somalia in March 2007. So far, Uganda has provided four AMISOM Force Commanders. 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. Uganda has deployed 12 battle groups into the Mission area. The recently deployed Battle Group 12 joined their Burundian counterparts in Baidoa.

In his letter at the weekend, Mr Museveni stated: “This unfortunate incident should be used to remind all those concerned, that operations in Somalia and other theatres, are combat missions and not welfare missions where you can access UN allowances. It is criminal for anybody involved, to send into such a theatre soldier who are either not suited for that mission or not properly prepared for it.”

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