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Kampala, Uganda (New Vision) - THE Government is to seek parliamentary approval before deploying UPDF soldiers to war-torn Somalia, reports Emmy Allio. Defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa said the troops would be sent on a peacekeeping mission.
“To abide by the legal procedures, we are tabling a motion to seek permission to go to Somalia. We have a battalion fully trained in peace-keeping missions for an environment like Somalia,” she told journalists on Wednesday.
On the hostility of Somali faction leaders to UPDF deployment, Nankabirwa said Uganda had fully investigated the circumstances in Somalia.
She said investigations had proved that out of IGAD member countries, it is only Uganda and Sudan which could be accepted by at least 70% of the people in Somalia. “We are continuously monitoring the situation,” she added.
Source: New Vision, Nov 10, 2006