East Africa: Museveni Spends Night At UPDF Base in Somalia

Mogadishu — During his second official visit to war-torn Somalia, President Museveni on Tuesday took time off and visited Ugandan troops at the Halane military camp, the largest African Union military base located in the capital Mogadishu, where he also spent the night meeting the UPDF commanders amid tight security.The President was in Mogadishu to attend the 28th Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) plus extra-ordinary summit of heads of States hosted by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud.

Somalia is one of the eight members of the regional bloc (Igad) with Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea, established in 1986.In his address to the troops, President Museveni, commended the UPDF for what he described as the spirit of “Pan Africanism which is one of the core values that make Ugandan army an exemplary force on the continent”.

“I thank you for helping our brothers and sisters in pacification of Somalia, and being a good example of unity,” the President said.

According to a statement issued by the UPDF Amisom contingent spokesperson, Capt Flavia Telimulungi, the President urged the troops to resist parochialism based on religion, gender disparities and clans, which he said is one of Africa’s major problems.

The summit at the presidential palace was also attended by Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn