Jacpher Posted March 1, 2007 Uganda in talks with Somali militants ahead of deployment of peacekeepers The Ugandan troops are in talks with some of the warlords in Somalia ahead of the country's deployment of peacekeepers, President Yoweri Museveni has revealed. Museveni told a news conference here late Tuesday that the militia has no reason to attack Uganda troops on a peacekeeping mission in the volatile country. "The militias have no good reason to worry about us because we are there to help them rebuild their state. Our job will be mainly to train the Somali army not to disarm them. We are talking to some of them," Museveni said. In recent weeks, the Somali capital Mogadishu has seen the worst unrest since the interim government drove out the militants of the Union of Islamic Courts with the help of Ethiopian troops last December. Those militants have threatened to attack peacekeepers deployed in the volatile country. Museveni said the Ugandan troops will take precautionary measures while in the volatile country. Meanwhile, the Daily Monitor on Wednesday reported that the deployment of Ugandan troops to Somalia has started. A source in Cabinet revealed that the soldiers would be the first to land in Baidoa as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission. "They are leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) in the early hours of the morning," the source said, preferring anonymity, due to the sensitivity of the deployment. "What we do not want is the press to cover their departure." Museveni was still reluctant to disclose when the troops would leave until late Tuesday but said it would be soon. "They are now packing their bags, cleaning their equipment and generally preparing to go," the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) spokesman Felix Kulayigye said on Tuesday. "It is not advisable to tell you when we arrive in Somalia... all I can say is that we are going soon." It emerged that military hardware was being secretly transported from Jinja, where the Somalia-destined troops are currently residing, to the airbase in Entebbe. A source said construction materials, water tanks and heavy armament were already at the airport, as "the final word" is awaited. If Ugandan troops arrive in Somalia on Wednesday, it would confirm an earlier statement by Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed that the deployment of Ugandan troops to Somalia should begin before the end of this week. The African Union has so far only raised half of the proposed 8, 000 peacekeepers. Under the AU mission to Somalia (AMISOM), Uganda has offered to deploy between 1,400 and 1,500 soldiers, who have been undergoing intensive training for over a year. UPDF's Maj. Gen. Levi Karuhanga has been appointed to head the force that will include troops from Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria and Burundi. Algeria and Egypt have reportedly offered to provide transport to countries sending troops to Somalia, which has lacked an effective central authority since the 1991 ouster of military strongman Mohamed Siad Barre. Source: Xinhua Source Desperate times call for desperate measurements. Museveni is desperate to collect few dollars but doesn't want to take the heat and wrath of his people. Back in UN intervention of Somalia, there have been stories that some of Unisom troops in Moqdisho were bribing Aideed Senior to stay off the road on their turn to patrol the streets. Now that's what I call peace building Is history repeating itself? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Taako Man Posted March 1, 2007 ^ He was trying to take lives, and met his creator only a few years later. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
