Editorial
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Just last week, two Ugandan soldiers were killed and three others injured in Somalia, adding to the growing list of our casualties in the lawless Horn of Africa country. Another Ugandan soldier was killed in May.
Uganda and Burundi together contribute all the approximately 4,500 soldiers that make up the African Union Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Early this week, member countries of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which comprises Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia held an extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during which they urged the United Nations to take charge of AMISOM. They also called for at least 2,000 more soldiers to bolster the mission.
The IGAD call is a reaction to gains made by extremist rebels, Al Shabaab, over the recent past, which forced AU-backed interim president, Sheikh Ahmed Sheriff, to go to the front line last week.
Uganda’s main self-confessed reason for being in Somalia is noble; to help a fellow African country gain stability and embark on development. The second reason is noble too; that a failed Somalia poses immense security problems for Uganda and the greater region. Notwithstanding the third reason, which is to take care of Ugandan ally America’s interests in the region, the first two are strong enough. But the problem is, Uganda cannot do it alone, not even with Burundi. More so, there is no peace to keep in Somalia at the moment.
When the African Union decided to intervene in Somalia, after the Ethiopia invasion, about three years ago, the understanding was that several African countries would contribute troops to the pan-African cause. Nigeria and Ghana were among those mentioned. Several years later, other African countries have developed cold feet, leaving Uganda, and later Burundi, to suffer the heat in Somalia.
Without enough soldiers, the rest of Africa not looking bothered, and Al Shabaab looking ever more menacing, Uganda must find a way out of this mess. An exit strategy. Our soldiers cannot remain in Somalia indefinitely, especially when no visible progress is being made.