{UAH} Museveni Explains Somalia Pullout: ‘AMISOM Wasn’t Successful

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Museveni made the revelation about the exit from Somali at the end of the regional Summit on Security that was also attended by his guest Benjamin Netanyahu the Israeli Prime Minister

By: Sam Waswa

 Jul 4,2016 

President Yoweri Museveni has Monday evening confirmed the decision by Uganda to pull out its peacekeeping forces from Somalia.

Museveni told press in the Entebbe that the United Nations and African Union backed mission in the Horn of Africa seemed to lack a sense of direction.

He was responding press questions at the end of a regional security summit that was also attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Chimpreports First Reported About The Pull Out, a few days after a UPDF High Command meeting that was held at State House in Entebbe on April 22.

Sources privy to the meeting deliberations informed us that the "strategic decision" was to put an end to the country's armed forces' military missions not only in Somalia but also the Central Africa Republic. The withdrawal from CAR is already in motion according to recent revelations by the army Spokesperson Paddy Ankunda.

Museveni confirmed today that he discussed this matter with the High Command that the AMISOM was not doing the work it set out to do in Somalia. He said he also raised the concern "in other forums," presumably the AU and UN.

"The reason we were contemplating that was that the peacekeeping is not well thought out in some of these situations," said the President.

"The bible says, that we leave undone what we ought to have done and we do what we ought not to have done and there is no truth in us.

"Our main reason for going to Somalia was to help the Somali people create their own army, but also defeat terrorism. We have been there for 9 years but we haven't created the army…and Somalia is not totally pacified," he said.  "Yes we have controlled the Alshabaab, but because of that gap of not creating the Somali army, the terrorism is controlled a little bit but not eliminated.

"We cannot support that type of thing; that type of poor planning is something that we don't support."

Ever since Uganda trumpeted her intentions to leave Somalia, there has been growing concerns that this could have severe ramifications to the country that has only been able to enjoy relative stability in recent years, after decades of bloodshed at the hands of the terror group.

President Museveni told press that when he "protested" the poor results of the AMISOM to the said forums, he was engaged by a number of people who seemed serious now to create an army for Somalia.

"If we see the program of building the Somali army, we shall go there to support them. That's what we went there to do' after all," he said. "We cannot abandon a solution to the problem. What we don't want is becoming part of the problem."

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