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Brig Gen Anthony Lukwago Mbuusi is the new Sector One contingent commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) serving under the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

A statement from the UPDF troops in Somalia said on Thursday that his appointment follows the end of tour of duty for Brig Gen Peter Gaetano Omala.

Omala handed over command to Lukwago on Thursday at Basecamp Sector One headquarters in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.

Speaking as he presided over the handover ceremony, the ATMIS force commander, Lt Gen Sam Okiding, emphasized the issue of troop aggressiveness against Al-Shabaab to deny the latter freedom of action.

“To you Anthony you have come at a time of the most dangerous phases of war-withdrawal. We are phasing down leaving a big gap to cover. The road map to withdraw must be robust. We need to be more aggressive,” he told Mbuusi.

Okiding pointed out that ATMIS is reaping the benefits of the Troop Contributing Countries’ (TCCs) intervention in the pacification of Somalia.

He noted that handing over Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to Somali Security Forces is an achievement of the African Union mandate of pacifying Somalia.

He added that the Federal Government of Somalia can now stand on its own when defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia.

“We have started reaping what brought us to this country. Even our brothers and sisters who lost lives, their blood was not in vain. SNA (Somali National Army) is now self-sustaining, we have mentored them, and they are building capacity albeit on a small scale,” Okiding said.

He appreciated the President of Somalia Sheikh Hassan Mohamed for prioritizing efforts in force generation within the shortest period who are now fighting on their own.

Okiding noted that handing over Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to Somali Security Forces is an achievement of the African Union mandate of pacifying Somalia.

Museveni hailed

The press statement said special thanks went to the President and Commander in Chief of UPDF, Yoweri Museveni, for his foresight in stabilising Somalia, which has been wracked by conflict since 1991.

Okiding also said if Uganda had not intervened, then Somalia would continue experiencing spillovers of insanity.

On his part, Omala elaborated on the achievements attained during his tour of duty, which ranged from combat deployment of air assets in four sectors 1, 3, 4 and 5, continued implementation of the Somali Transition Plan through mentoring and coordination, sustainability operations, facilitation and provision of humanitarian assistance to local communities to maintain an enabling environment with Somali government.

He highlighted the challenges faced in Sector One such as inadequate force enablers, poor road infrastructure, harsh environment affecting equipment and inadequate deployment of SNA to cover the expansive area of responsibility.

“The revised ATMIS concept of operation requires a FOB to be manned not less than 200 personnel, troops to be agile, lethal, flexible, adaptable and responsive. Yet ATMIS mandate is to conduct a phased handover of security responsibility to Somali Security Forces. The drawdown is not aligned with the situation on ground,” noted Omala.

In his acceptance speech, Mbuusi expressed his sincere appreciation to President Museveni for the trust and responsibility bestowed upon him.

He acknowledged the enormous challenges ahead of him since Somalia is still a theatre of complex operations.

“In the event of a mission drawdown, preparations have their own challenges. If not well planned, they can be daunting. However, I’m very confident that with dedication and resilience, our team will overcome all these mission huddles. If we have achieved a great deal on this mission turning what was once considered mission impossible then this one is doable,” Mbuusi said.

He called upon all those pursuant to a peaceful Somalia to embrace unity, cooperation and coordination, adding that sharing ideas will ensure a collective approach to the goal.

“I’m committed and dedicated to this course and I encourage you all to approach me with any concerns, suggestions, and ideas that can contribute to the collective success. My door will always be open to all,” Mbuusi said.

The handover ceremony was attended by Uganda Defence Advisor to Somalia Brig Gen Francis Chemo, Uganda Battle Group commanders, Partners from Bancroft International Global and UNMAS and all heads of departments Sector One.