The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, Abubaker Jeje Odongo, said that his government is committed to reducing its troops working under the African Union in Somalia.
The minister made this statement at the ministerial meeting of the countries where troops are stationed in Somalia, which was held in the city of Kampala.
The meeting was attended by the Commanders of the Armed Forces and delegates from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, ambassadors and representatives from the African Union, and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia.
Minister Odongo said that Uganda is committed to supporting Somalia in its pursuit of peace, security and stability and praised the Somali government for mobilizing forces to join the fight against Al-Shabaab.
“Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia in 2007 to help restore peace in the country. Last month, 2,900 soldiers of the Somali National Army successfully completed their military training in Uganda,” said Odongo.
He added that another batch of 3,000 soldiers have started their training as part of the effort to create XDS forces to take over security responsibilities after the reduction of atmis.
Alhaji Sarjoh M.Bah, the director of conflict management of the African Union said that the African Union is still in the effective implementation of the ATMIS troop reduction plan.
Alhaji Sarjoh praised the efforts of the security forces and the help of the local communities to fight against Al-Shabaab together.
