Ugandan Troops reach Costal City of Mombasa

By Mohamed Dubo Mohamed

Nairobi, Kenya (HOL)-The A.U. planned Ugandan military tanks and personnel including a tank battalion and various support staff as part of the A.U Somali mission has finaly reached the costal city of Mombasa Kenya on their way to the war-ravaged horn of Africa state. The military equipment arrived late yesterday by train at the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

This train wagons loaded with military equipment left Ugandafor Somalia, shortly after President Yoweri Museveni flagged off the mission in Jinja Uganda.

Uganda is the first African country to sent peacekeeping military personnel to Somalia, 1,500 Ugandan troops under the command of Colonel Peter Elwelu have arrived in Somalia and are awaiting forces from other countries that have volunteered soldiers and logistic support to the Somali Transitional National  Government .but Uganda has kept the exact troop deployment date to Somalia secret.

Although A cargo plane dropped off 35 uniformed Ugandan officers early Friday morning at the government stronghold of Baidoa, but Ugandan army Capt. Paddy Ankunda, a spokesman for the AU mission, denied any military personnel had left yet. "There are no troops in Somalia," he said in Uganda.

However,Kenya is not among the African countries sending peacekeepers in respect line with international protocols that barries countries sharing boundaries known as front-line states from sending troops to immediate neighbouring somalia.The African Union hopes to send 8,000 troops but may not be able to raise that number,

Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Burundi are also expected to send troops to bring the force to about half its hoped-for strength of nine battalions, or 8,000 soldiers. Peacekeepers are given mandates by the A.U securty committes which include organizing a police force, demobilizing militia and helping the thousands of civilians who fled fighting return home.

The daily attacks in Mogadishu came as reminders of the tough task facing A.U mission designed to help Somalia’s interim government pacify the anarchic country.

The insurgents, targeting mainly a joint force of government troops and their Ethiopian allies, are suspected to be the remnants of the ICU and some clan militias fighting against the government's efforts to stabilise Som