UPDF complete post-Somalia mission training

SINGO - The Chief of Staff - Land Forces, Brig Gen Michael Kabango, on Friday, March 7, 2025, officially closed the post-mission ideological course for Battle Group (BG) 40 and United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU) X after they completed deployment in Somalia.

The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces in a statement shared on Friday noted that the ceremony, held at the International Peace Support Operations Training Centre (IPSO-CT) in Singo, marked the soldiers’ transition back into regular service after a gruelling 12-month mission.

Brig Gen Kabango, who represented Deputy Commander Land Forces Maj Gen Francis Takirwa, commended the troops for their resilience and professionalism.

“This is not just about closing a course; it is about welcoming back warriors who have carried our flag high, thanking them for their sacrifice, and sending them off to rest before their next assignment,” said Brig Gen Kabango according to a release from UPDF'.

He urged the soldiers to maintain discipline, patriotism, and financial prudence while keeping up their determination to serve.

Brig Gen Patrick Otongo, Commandant of IPSO-CT, remarked that their exceptional performance demonstrated the effectiveness of their training.

BG 40 Commander, Col Topher Magino, and UNGU X Commander, Lt Col David Emmanuel Odongo, praised their troops for upholding discipline and ensuring the success of their mission.

They encouraged their teams to maintain the same professionalism as they reintegrate.
The event was attended by senior commanders, officers from both battlegroups and community leaders.

Uganda was the first country to send soldiers to Somalia, spearheading the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in March 2007, to fight the a-Shabaab insurgents and protect the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.

Uganda controls sector One which was the security responsibility of the UPDF and it includes the Benadir region which covers parts of the capital city, Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle region.

Sector Two – is under the security responsibility of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), with an operational base in Dhobley, the sector includes the Lower Juba, Lower Shabelle, Middle Juba and Gedo regions.

Sector Three is under the security responsibility of soldiers from the Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF), which includes the Bay, Bakool and Gedo regions.

Sector Four – covers the Hiiraan and Galgaduud regions, the sector is under the security responsibility of the Djibouti Armed Forces (DJAF), although troops from the Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF) also control some areas.

Sector Five – is based in the Middle Shabelle region, the sector whose main operational base is Jowhar, is under the security responsibility of the Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF).

Sector Six –is under the security responsibility of a multinational force from the Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF) and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

The African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and Somali government decided that on April 1, 2022, AMISOM will be replaced by the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). 

The new mission was supposed to operate until the end of 2024 and the mandate of ATMIS was also structured around a four-phase transition and gradual handover of security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces (SSF) by December 2024.

The AU and UN are yet to communicate on what next.