Uganda asks US help to send 10k troops to Somalia, European Union offers boost for AU peacekeeping effort in Somalia

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda said Wednesday it is ready to send 10,000 more troops to Somalia if the U.S. provides the funding, a move that would see the African Union force in Mogadishu more than double in size.Uganda's pledge comes in the wake of twin bombings in Kampala during July's World Cup final that killed 76 people. Somalia's most dangerous militant group, al-Shabab, said it carried out the attack because of the presence of several thousand Ugandan troops in Mogadishu as part of the nearly 7,000-strong African Union force.The spokesman for Uganda's army, Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye, said the country has 10,000 more forces trained and ready to deploy to Somalia, but the country needs the U.S. to provide assistance."The USA committed itself to fund the peacekeeping troops," Kulayigye said. "Once they provide what they promised we will send the troops."The U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Uganda, Joann Lockard, said the U.S. has already provided funds for an additional 1,000 Ugandan troops to deploy to Somalia. The U.S. also continues to work with African nations to increase the overall support for AMISOM, the African Union Mission in Somalia, she said.
The U.S. has already obligated more than $185 million in support of AMISOM troops from Uganda and Burundi, she said."The United States is encouraging other donors and African nations to step forward to provide additional troops and financial and logistical support to AMISOM," Lockard said.During an African Union summit in Kampala in late July, African leaders pledged more troops for Somalia, a stance the U.S. said it supported. However, most Somalia observers say Somalia needs a political solution more than a military one. The country has not had a functioning national government since 1991, when warlords overthrew the president.Al-Shabab, an ultraconservative militant force that has ties with al-Qaida, is trying to overthrow the weak, U.N.-backed Somali government and install its harsh interpretation of Shariah law countrywide. Associated Press
European Union offers boost for AU peacekeeping effort in Somalia
Nairobi, Kenya - The European Union (EU) is providing 47 million Euros to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to keep peace in Somalia's war-battered capital, Mogadishu.'The European Commission confirmed its support to AMISOM by providing an additional 47 million Euros to the AU, bringing the EU allocation to AMISOM to a total of 142 million Euros funded under the African Peace Facility (APF) since 2007,' it said in a statement on Wednesday.EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, said the AMISOM was an important part of efforts to bring peace and stability in Somalia and was in need of support.'AMISOM remains crucial to prevent a severe further downfall in the security of Somalia and has proven to be key to the creation of minimum security pre-conditions for dialogue and reconciliation in Somalia,' said Ashton, who is also the Commission Vice-President said.EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, said the organization was sure the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia was key to the continued protection of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG).'The EU is committed to support the African Union in creating the necessary conditions to national reconciliation, lasting peace, stability and sustainable development in Somalia,' Piebalgs said.The fresh funding for AMISOM was released as renewed fighting in Mogadishu continued to take more casualties. Unconfirmed reports said Wednesday six more AMISOM soldiers were killed after a mortar attack.The latest attacks follow the killing of four Ugandan peacekeepers when the Islamic militant group, Al Shabaab, attacked a hotel frequented by members of the TFG, killing four parliamentarians.The EU officials want the funds to be used to keep peace and stability.'I hope this mission will establish an environment where human rights are respected, the protection of all citizens assured and internally displaced persons and refugees can return home in safety and dignity,' Piebalgs said in the statement.Nairobi - Pana 02/09/2010