Uganda: Region 'Not Happy' With Progress of Somalia Talks

Kampala — Mr Johnnie Carson, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, made brief comments about Washington's commitment to Somalia after a marathon meeting of African leaders he called to consider the way forward in Mogadishu.The comments did not reveal much but inside the meeting, diplomatic and security sources said a lot of ground was covered-but apparently not enough for Uganda.
Fast reaction
The Uganda government represented at the meeting by President Museveni, who later left Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa to continue, has been pushing the line for fast reaction to the threat posed by al Shabaab, the militant group affiliated to the global terrorist organisation, al Qaeda. The al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the July 11 terror attacks in Kampala which left more than 80 dead.A Cabinet source said President Museveni was unhappy that the US, the most important funder of the peacekeeping effort in Somalia, had not "written a sizeable cheque" for the expanded operations anticipated.
"We are looking for more men and money. Unfortunately, while Washington has deep pockets, they are failing to commit in definite terms," the source said. When President Museveni walked out of the hall after his counterparts Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, and other leaders, he was tight-lipped.

"There is a government spokesman," he told journalists. Other heads of state were equally opaque about the talks. "The agenda was Somalia," was all President Zenawi, whose troops routed the Union of Islamic Courts which was in power in Somalia in 2006, and under whom the al Shabaab develop, said. That Ethiopian invasion is what later led to the vacuum that gave rise to the current al Qaeda-led threat there."The frustration right now is on financing," said government spokesman Mr Fred Opolot. "Even if many countries have expressed condolences to Uganda [for the 7/11 attacks] they are not committing to do more". Only Uganda and Burundi have troops in Mogadishu where the al Shabaab have continued to attack their militaries. Mr Opolot said with US involvement, Uganda hoped, other countries would be encouraged to support a plan for a more robust assault against the al Shabaab.During the summit, it has been announced that Guinea and Djibouti would send troops -- at least 2,000 coming from Djibouti which is also host to Camp Lemonier, the only US base on the African continent.
Currently, peacekeeping troop levels-given official and unofficial numbers- average between 6,000 and 7,000 men. "The summit has created a momentum and President Museveni has taken the opportunity to garner more structured support but to put figures on the table cannot happen at a meeting like yesterday," said EU Head of Delegation, Ambassador Vincent de Visccher. He said calls for more action in the meeting had been echoed by Mr Zenawi, Mr Kikwete and others. "Financial assistance will materialise soon because we agreed on more focused efforts," he added.

Increased remuneration
The EU provides training for Somali soldiers and police, and provides money for salaries. In yesterday's meeting, however, reliable sources said, they agreed only in principle to consider increased remuneration for AMISOM troops who are paid less than UN troops in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur (they get $500 per month as opposed to the $1,080 paid in Darfur).Amb. De Visscher said the EU, and individual European countries have been convinced of the need for the "accelerated support" that Uganda was calling for. No decision was taken on the changing the peacekeeping mandate for AMISOM to peace enforcement by press time.   Angelo Izama 27 July 2010