Prime
UPDF soldiers hand over VIP protection to Somali forces
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (centre) during a meeting with Ambassador Souef Mohamed El-Amine, the head of the Africa Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) (3rd left), and ATMIS force commander Lt Gen Sam Okiding (2nd left) at the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu, Somalia, in August. photo/courtesy of ATMIS
What you need to know:
- This is part of a plan by the United Nations Security Council and Africa Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to withdraw from Somalia.
- Previously, the government was operating from Baidoa in Somalia due to threats from the al-Shabaab militants.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have handed over the responsibility of protecting the president, other very important persons (VIPs) and critical infrastructure in Somalia to the country’s security forces.
The handover was effected on Sunday, the national security adviser of Somalia, Mr Hussein Sheikh-Ali, announced yesterday.
The UPDF has been responsible for the protection of key officials and infrastructure for the last 16 years.
“SNAF (Somalia National Armed Forces) and SPF (Somalia Police Forces) will proudly take over the responsibility of @TheVillaSomalia (presidency) tomorrow, marking a significant milestone for the STP (Somalia Transition Plan),” he said on his social media accounts.
He added: “Farewell and to @ATMIS_Somalia UPDF contingency, who has been responsible for protecting the presidency, OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) and Parliament House for the last 16 years.”
This is part of a plan by the United Nations Security Council and Africa Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to withdraw from Somalia.
All troops under the ATMIS mandate are expected to completely withdraw from Somalia by 2024.
Last year, the army trained hundreds of Somali Special Forces at Butiaba Military Base in western Uganda to enable them take over the guarding duties of VIPs in their country.
The soldiers returned to Somalia in March this year after the training.
Uganda, under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), was the first to send troops to Somalia in 2007 to bring peace to the country which has been rocked by instability since the early 1990s.
In November 2009, the Somali government relocated to Mogadishu, the country’s capital city, under the protection of the UPDF.
Previously, the government was operating from Baidoa in Somalia due to threats from the al-Shabaab militants.
The late Lt Gen Paul Lokech, who was once the commander of the African Union (AU) forces in Somalia, once said the situation was so bad that the Somali President had to operate inside a bunker since the al-Shabaab were constantly attacking the presidential palace with bombs.
The UPDF were able to launch an offensive, which saw the al-Shabaab militants retreat from the capital city.
Al-Shabaab militants then resorted to attacking VIPs and critical infrastructure, using suicide bombers and snipers.
In 2014, the al-Shabaab militants attacked the Somali Parliament using a car bomb. Later, armed combatants entered the Parliament premises resulting in an intense four-hour fight. The militants were eventually repelled but 10 people were killed in the attack and several others injured.
The Ugandan troops were also responsible for the protection of all candidates during the Somali elections.
