Henry Mukasa
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Kampala, Uganda (New Vision) - THE Government has defended its involvement in the Africa Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia, arguing that it has saved lives.
Foreign affairs state minister Isaac Musumba said yesterday that the deployment of 1,500 Ugandan troops under the African Union had enabled Somalia's transitional government to shift from Baidoa to the capital, Mogadishu.
"You should salute the UPDF. If they had not deployed, even the relief that is coming through the airport and the port wouldn't be there," Musumba said during a press briefing to mark Africa Day that falls on every May 25.
The minister noted that Uganda has been involved in the African Union activities since its inception.
"In the spirit of collective responsibility and in fulfiling the rights of an active membership, Uganda has sent troops on various AU missions, contributing to peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and dialogue."
Musumba confirmed that Burundi would deploy soon alongside Uganda. He said Nigeria's deployment was interrupted by the election of a new government.
The minister said the focus of the AU is to accelerate socio-economic integration with the ultimate objective of a union government.
The foreign affairs permanent secretary, James Mugume, said the AU still faces the challenge of having its institutions fully operationalised. He singled out the lack of capacity to maintain peace and security.
"If there was an AU standby force of five battalions, we would have been mobilised faster to deploy in Somalia and Darfur (in Sudan). Under the African Union, the member states can intervene in cases of human rights abuses and genocide," Mugume said.
He said there was also a challenge to set the standards of good governance on the continent.
Source: New Vision, May 26, 2007