By Henry Mukasa
Friday, January 13, 2012
Defence state minister Lt. Gen. Jeje Odongo, said there was need for more AMISOM troops in Somalia to consolidate the gains and rout out the militants fighting the interim government in Mogadishu.
“We appeal for more boots on the ground so that more Somalis can live in peace,” Odongo’s call-out for more troops was clear.
He was speaking after the screening of a documentary, Heroes in the Horn compiled by Don Research at Serena Hotel, Kampala mid-week.
Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti form the bulk of AMISOM troops, although Kenya recently made an incursion into Somalia to repulse al-Shabaab militants who had attacked them.
Earlier, during a panel discussion moderated by Vision Group chief executive officer, Robert Kabushenga, opposition politician Cecilia Ogwal surprised the audience when she hailed the Uganda Peoples' Defense Forces’ (UPDF) presence in Somalia and described it as sacrificial and humanitarian.
Ogwal criticized the European Union (EU) for not doing enough to enable Somalia recover.
AMISOM force commander Maj. Gen. Nathan Mugisha said the mission is a success story. He said if the troops are bolstered with numbers and equipment, al-Shabaab will be no more.
Mugisha, together with other AMISOM officers Col. Peter Elwelu, Col. Godfrey Golooba, Col. Francis Kyemo, Sgt. Sarah Chebet and Sgt. Pricilla Atim, were each decorated with badges of honour by minister Odongo. The badges were an initiative of Don Research.