Wednesday, April 16, 2014
NAKASEKE, Uganda, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan Military on Wednesday deployed over 400 troops to guard UN bases and personnel in volatile Somalia.
The 410 troops completed their 12 weeks' training here in the central Ugandan district of Nakaseke.
While flagging off the troops, Lt. Gen. Charles Angina, the deputy chief of defenses forces said the force is ready to perform the noble task.
"I have seen by myself, the morale is so high, they are really ready for the task. This is a very historical undertaking for the UPDF (Uganda military) which has done very well in Pan African mechanism in ensuring there is peace in our region," he said.
The force, which will be called the United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU), will operate under a special UN mandate to protect UN staff, facilities and citizens around Somalia.
"We have been trained, equipped and we have been facilitated with all the necessary mandate to execute this mission successfully," said Lt. Col. Wycliffe Kaita, the commander of UNGU.
The troops are expected to be in Somalia on Thursday.
Until the creation of UNGU, the security for UN entities in the war-torn country has been provided by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops that have been stationed in the country since 2007.
UNGU will free more AMISOM troops so that they can concentrate on eliminating Al-Shabaab, the Somali militant group.
The Al Qaeda-affiliated group has staged attacks in the Somali capital Mogadishu recently, including a February 21 assault on the presidential palace and a bombing that targeted a UN convoy outside the airport.