Mogadishu, Somalia | THE INDEPENDENT | An intense five-day induction course for 32 newly deployed staff officers serving with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) ended with a call on the officers to serve with dedication and professionalism. The plea to work to advance attainment of the …
Read More »AU bids farewell to Lt. Gen Okiding
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Sivuyile Bam, the Deputy Special Representative of the African Union (AU) Chairman in Somalia, has urged Lt Gen Sam Okiding not to abandon Somalia as he transitions to his new role as the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Ugandan military. Lt Gen …
Read More »Defence spending Shs.400 million monthly to fly troops to Somalia
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Defence is spending a total of Shs400 million monthly to fly troops to Somalia and other destinations following the grounding of planes owned by Uganda Air Cargo. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Rosette Byengoma, told the Committee on Defence and Internal …
Read More »Somalia flag raised at the EAC
Arusha, Tanzania | THE INDEPENDENT | The Federal Republic of Somalia has been officially declared the newest member of the East African Community after depositing her Instrument of Ratification of the Treaty of Accession with the Secretary-General Monday morning. The Federal Republic of Somalia is officially declared the newest member of …
Read More »Global charity urges for protection of girls in Somalia amid surge in rape, sexual abuses
MOGADISHU | Xinhua | Save the Children, an international charity, has called for increased protection of women and girls in Somalia amid a surge in sexual abuse and rape against teenage girls in recent months. The charity said a 13-year-old girl was raped by a group of armed men outside …
Read More »Uganda’s Somalia adventure 2
Why Uganda should stop deluding itself that it is in Somalia to protect the people of that country THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week in this column, I argued that Uganda’s mission in Somalia is like America’s mission in Afghanistan. This lesson was hammered into my head reading a …
Read More »Somalia’s parliament approves country’s membership in EAC
MOGADISHU, Somalia | Xinhua | Somalia’s parliament on Saturday approved the Treaty of Accession to the East African Community (EAC), completing the country’s eighth membership in the regional bloc. The Second Deputy Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Abdullahi Omar Abshir, said 148 out …
Read More »Uganda’s Somalia adventure
Why government of Uganda, the AU and Western powers need to rethink their involvement in Somalia THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On May 26, 2023, Al Shabab attacked a UPDF base in Somalia with devastating effects. UPDF said 54 soldiers were killed while Al Shaba claimed to have killed 137. …
Read More »ATMIS closes two military bases in the second phase of troop drawdown in Somalia
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), with logistical support from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), has completed phase two drawdown, which involved reducing the troop count by 3000 soldiers. ATMIS transferred seven Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Federal Government …
Read More »Uganda, America and Israel
Lessons from the US war in Afghanistan for Uganda’s mission in Somalia and Israel’s in Gaza THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | While thinking about Uganda’s involvement in Somalia sometime last year, I read Craig Whitlock’s book, The Afghanistan Papers, The Secret History of the War. Just after I had finished …
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