Somalia/Uganda - minister interview

Uganda will not pull troops out of Somalia

Article published on the 2009-09-18 Latest update 2009-09-18 15:48 TU

A militant firing a gun in Mogadishu, July 2009
(Photo :AFP)

One day after nine peacekeepers were killed by suicide bombers in Mogadishu, Uganda, which shares responsibility for the mission with Burundi, has vowed to stay in Somalia and fight.

Islamist insurgents in Somalia vowed to pursue their campaign until African Union peacekeepers leave the country, and the attack yesterday was the deadliest since the Amisom mission deployed in March 2007.

The Al-Shabab movement, which is closely connected to Al Qaeda, warned that more is to come.

Asked whether the increasing violence has convinced Uganda to rethink its commitment to the mission, Uganda's Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko said simply, “Not at all.”

“We went to Somalia to try and assist our brothers and sisters to bring sanity to their country,” Masiko told RFI. “There may be set backs like this, but we will not be changing our policy as far as Somalia is concerned.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon condemned the attack, saying the world body will investigate how terrorists came to use vehicles bearing UN markings.

Other backers of Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also expressed shock at the attack, which killed at least 12 Burundian and four Ugandan soldiers and wounded many more.

The African Union is trying to convince other member states to contribute troops and make good on an initial pledge to build a force of 8,000 men, almost twice the size of the current deployment.

However, when questioned over whether the mission needed more assertive rules of engagement to allow it to engage militants, Masiko said no.

“We are not in the business of having full-scale war with them [the militants],” she said.