Uganda, world’s second largest contributor to peacekeeping operations

African Transition Mission in Somalia, where UPDF troops are deployed, is largest multilateral peace operation

Kampala, Uganda | Ian Katusiime | With 6,162 troops, Uganda is the second largest contributor to peacekeeping operations worldwide as of December 31, 2021. This was contained in a new study done by SIPRI, a global security think tank.

Ethiopia came first with 8,611 troops involved in peace operations. The data was released ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on May 29.

Uganda’s troops are in the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) where it is the leading nation in the mission. It was the first country to deploy in the UN-backed operations in 2007 and for it, it has earned recognition around the world.

In addition, ATMIS is the largest multilateral peace operation in the world with 19,384 military personnel.

“At the end of 2021, sub-Saharan Africa continued to host the highest number of multilateral peace operations (22 of the 63). The region is likely to remain the main focus of multilateral operations—both within and outside the scope of SIPRI’s definition of multilateral peace operations,” wrote Dr. Claudia Pfeifer, the author of the report titled ‘Multilateral peace operations in 2021: Developments and trends.’

Complex African missions

“In 2021 a number of complex constellations of peace operations continued to be concentrated in a handful of host countries,” the report noted. It said that Multilateral peace operations were particularly numerous in the Central African Republic (CAR), Kosovo and Mali. “Moreover, a new constellation appears to be developing in Mozambique, where two of the four multilateral peace operations that started in 2021 were established. These joined the Rwandan Joint Force, a bilateral military operation (not considered a multilateral peace operation).”

The study noted that CAR which has been wrecked by instability hosted five operations as of December 2021 deploying approximately 15,000 personnel, while Mali hosted four operations, with a total of approximately 16,000 personnel.

“Along with Somalia (hosting three operations), South Sudan (hosting two operations) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (hosting one operation), these were the countries or territories with the largest deployments and hosting the largest operations in 2021. The personnel deployments in the four operations in Kosovo were much lower, totaling approximately 4,000.”

Meanwhile Somalia has just elected a new President and there has been another significant development: redeployment of 450 U.S. troops to bolster operations against the Al Shabaab terror group.