President Uhuru Kenyatta leads top government officials through the
proceedings of the AMISOM troop contributing countries to Somali at the
Munyonyo Speke Resort Kampala, Uganda.
Monday, August 05, 2013
Leaders of countries contributing troops to the African Union
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Sunday said unfair accusations, deliberate
distortion of facts and bad mouthing against their members must stop.
The leaders’ spoke in the wake of a statement
appearing in Kenyan and Somali media, attributed to some Somali leaders,
saying Kenya should withdraw its troops from the Horn of Africa
country.
The Somali delegation withdrew the statement at
the meeting at Munyonyo, Uganda, after Kenya and other regional
countries strongly objected.
Kenya has played a leading role in peace
initiatives in Somalia, leading to major achievements including
liberation of the Port of Kismayu.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the AMISOM Troops Contributing Countries (TCC) Heads of State Summit in Uganda.
The leaders, including President Uhuru Kenyatta,
Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, argued that the move was
premature and would cause a dysfunctional command and control.
They said folding AMISOM into the UN Mission would
cause inequitable distribution of resources and render operations of
the mission ineffective.
They emphasized the need for continued African
leadership in the efforts to stabilize Somalia and reduce the threat of
Al Shabaab.
They underlined the fight against Al Shabaab as the major focus of TCC.
The summit also supported the Federal Government of Somalia’s commitment to hold elections by 2016.
The leaders requested the Federal Government of
Somalia to prioritize the reintegration of various militias, with the
exception of Al Shabaab and its allies, to establish a cohesive Somalia
National Security Force.
President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived Monday morning
from Kampala Uganda, where he attended the Heads of State Summit for
countries contributing troops to the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM).