Uganda: In Somalia Region is Seen As the African Union

As we mourn and reflect on the tragedy that befell Uganda on July 11, there remain many unanswered questions. The bombings were senseless and inhuman. Ugandans are now targets anywhere in the world.
However, tragedies and calamities like these help to unite people in grief and also bring out the best of individuals. For example, in the absence of ambulances everything was still done to take casualties to hospitals and doctors and the security agencies tried their best to come to grips with the situation.Tragedies also allow examination of the performance of those who could have prevented them. The security agencies have been caught napping on duty. As they concentrated on suppressing the political opposition, they neglected the security of the country. To be effective they must focus on their core responsibilities and remain non-partisan.which must still be answered is why Ugandans should be targeted if Amisom is indeed an AU mission? How come that other than Burundi, where Ugandan influence is substantial, there is no other member of the African Union sending troops to Somalia? If, as claimed, Ugandan troops are in Somalia as a pan-Africanist duty, why did the pan-Africanist spirit arise only in 2007 when the Somali problem started in 1991 when Siad Barre was overthrown?

Fortunately, the AU summit meeting is taking place in Kampala immediately after the terror attacks and hopefully it will provide answers especially after their excellencies visit the terror sites. But more importantly, I hope they will decide to contribute more troops from other AU members. If they do not do so then President Museveni's commitment to deploy more troops is untenable. Amisom must become an AU mission not a Uganda/Burundi mission. Uganda is paying a heavy price with UPDF soldiers killed and injured in Somalia and now many killed and injured in Kampala. This should cause the AU and Ugandan authorities to reflect on the fate of Amisom.Amisom is not the first intervention in Somalia. The UN created a peace keeping mission, led by the USA and deployment took place in 1993 but the mission was abandoned in 1995 after 19 American and 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Next, in 2006, the Ethiopians overthrew Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) which had seized Mogadishu and most of South Somalia. The Ethiopians suffered heavy casualties and withdrew in 2007.Sheik Sharif Ahmed was then installed as President again but this time without any ICU forces. Thus when Ugandan troops, followed by Burundi troops, were deployed to protect the President and vital installations, there was already opposition and resistance to foreign intervention organised by several radical groups (now overshadowed by al Shabaab) influenced by al Qaeda. It is this latter influence that has spawned the terror that hit Kampala.The way forward is not immediate withdrawal but there must be an exit roadmap clearly outlining when other AU countries will contribute troops and how long the AU mandate will last. Therefore, in the short run there must be deployment of more AU, not Ugandan, troops for a definite period. Secondly, the experience of Somaliland, the north eastern half of Somalia, must be examined to find out why the chaos and lawlessness have not taken root there and what can be replicated in southern Somalia. Finally, al Shabaab extremism is not representative of Somalis. Therefore, Ugandans must refrain from collective victimizsation and condemnation of Somalis as they are also victims of Al Shabaab terrorism.

Augustine Ruzindana 21 July 2010
Mr Ruzindana is FDC's deputy secretary general, policy and research