ARTICLE: Visiting Uganda senior

commander commends AMISOM soldiers

for helping secure Somalia
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Mogadishu, August 18 2016 - The Commander of the Uganda

Special Forces, Maj Gen. Muhoozi Kaneirugaba, has commended the
African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for supporting Somali
security forces in fighting Al-Shabaab militants in the country.
Gen. Kaneirugaba particularly singled out Uganda Peoples Defence
Force (UPDF) soldiers for praise, saying their courage and dedication
has enabled AMISOM execute its mandate of stabilizing Somalia.
He made the remarks during a meeting with senior AMISOM officers
held at the Uganda contingent headquarters in Mogadishu,
yesterday.
He urged AMISOM to help the Somali government hold a successful
electoral process scheduled before the end of the year. Recently the
Federal Indirect Electoral Independent Team (FIEIT) released an
electoral process timetable, which will culminate in the election of a
new president on October 30, this year.
We need to ensure a safe election period for the people of Somalia
in the coming polls and it is high time we evaluated our readiness,
Gen. Kaneirugaba observed.
The Ugandan Commander, who is visiting Somalia, is expected to
hold security talks with senior AMISOM officials and representatives
of the Federal Government of Somalia.
Gen Kaneirugaba reminded the Ugandan soldiers of the need to
understand the history and aspirations of the Uganda Peoples
Defence Force (UPDF) and urged them to build on the armys
success, while serving in Somalia.

He commended the progress made in Somalia, in the recent past,

which, he observed, was possible due to collaboration between
AMISOM forces and the Somali national security forces.
Commenting on Al-Shabaabs retreat from major towns, Gen
Kaneirugaba hailed Ugandan troops for the role they played in
pushing the militants out of Mogadishu and urged them to continue
collaborating with other security forces in liberating Somalia from
terrorists.
The Uganda Battle Group 18 Commander, Col. Ronald Bigirwa, who
represented the Uganda Contingent Commander, Brig. Sam Okiding,
briefed Gen. Kaneirugaba on the current security situation in
Somalia, which he noted had improved.
Col. Bigirwa commended the efforts by the Somali national security
forces in defending and maintaining liberated territories under the
control of the Federal Government.
Col Bigirwa noted that preparations to secure the electoral process
are top priority for both AMISOM and Somali national security forces
and reiterated UPDFs readiness to ensure peace and security during
the exercise.
SFC is a specialized component of the Uganda Peoples Defence
Forces (UPDF), which apart from offering protection for the
President, is tasked with carrying out special missions in support of
the countrys national military objectives.
Somalia is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential
electoral process in September and October respectively. There are
fears that Al-Shabaab militants may disrupt the process especially in
hard to reach areas where AMISOM presence and control by the
Somali government is minimal. However, AMISOM has reiterated its
commitment to work together with the Somali security forces to
ensure the process is a success.
Ends