UPDF has done Uganda proud in Somalia - Gen. Lakara

"This is a very complex mission. First of all it's not peacekeeping. This is peace enforcement, it's really fighting a war. Fighting and state building because AMISOM was deployed to a non-permissive environment in terms of UN standards, for peacekeeping. So we are in war. This makes the mission very challenging".  

These were the words of Maj. Gen James Nakibus Lakara, the outgoing Deputy Force Commander in charge Support and Logistics, for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), a position that made him principal Head of Support and Logistics to the military component, operating in Somalia.

Gen. Lakara will jet in on Monday and will head straight to Jinja his new station of duty after he was appointed the commandant of Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre (URDCC).

He should have returned on 17 April, however AU leadership in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia extended his contract by another six months, making him the longest serving deputy Force Commander in the history of AMISOM.

Maj. Gen. Lakara inspects a parade during a working visit to Dobley in January.

"The ability to degrade the Al-Shabaab and the sticky issue of clan dynamics makes the environment non permissive and therefore, AMISOM finds it difficult to operate with the population, a majority of who ally with the Al-Shabaab," Gen. Lakara said adding that the population is not fully involved in the fight against the Al-Shabaab.

To him, there are three categories of Somalis; those who support Al-Shabaab, those who have been forced into supporting the terror outfit and liberals who are neither here nor there, depending on who is in charge of a particular area.

The absence of road infrastructure has complicated the mission in Somalia, making delivery of supplies and reinforcements to forward operating bases almost impossible. This has prompted the leadership to resort to airlifting supplies, which to him is costly and unsustainable.

He acknowledges that with the above scenario, it becomes difficult to win the hearts and minds of the population, factors crucial to win a war. To address this, AMISOM has tried to implement some Quick Impact Projects (QUIPs), which the General says are meant to alleviate the suffering of the people. The other challenge is the ability to mobilize the population.

"You cannot win a counter insurgency when the people have not rejected insecurity," he said.

AMISOM milestones

He says the geographical coverage by AMISOM is so big after recovering huge stretch of territory from the Al-Shabaab though it's creating other challenges.

Maj. Gen. Nakibus Lakara greets a wounded KDF soldier in Dobley.

A booming reconstruction industry that has immensely transformed the skyline of Mogadishu city, coupled with a busy sea port and a newly constructed Adden Abdulle International Airport, peaking at times with more than sixty aircrafts landing and taking off per day.

Political success in terms of State formation process has been concluded with the recent formation of Hirshabelle, the fifth and last state.

The engagement and development of the Somali National Army (SNA), though this still presents a challenge. He however notes that there is need to reconfigure the forces so as to go on the offensive rather than being defensive.

His legacy

Lakara says he has made a modest contribution to the overall effort to bring peace and stability to Somalia, where he also enjoyed his tour of duty that spanned more than one year.

Despite the numerous challenges, ironically it is those challenges that have kept him going out of the sheer love for challenges.

He believes the manner in which Uganda, which shares a history of insurgencies, dealt with the problem, can be replicated in Somalia to achieve peace and stability.

The challenges have broadened his thinking due to interaction with different agencies in the support sector.

On UPDF

Given that Uganda was the first African country to deploy in Somalia, he believes this development projected Uganda's image positively and helped expose the UPDF to different levels in addition to acquiring other skills.

He feels delighted at the decision by Uganda to help another African country which builds a strong spirit of Pan-Africanism.

"UPDF being entrusted with the security of the country is a huge vote of confidence to our country," Gen Lakara noted.

Who is Lakara?

Gen, James Nakibus Lakara, was born in January 1960 in Kotido district, a nomadic pastoral community of the Jie in Karamoja region.

He has served as the Deputy Force Commander of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) from April 2015 to October, 2016 and was charge of logistical support. 

Maj. Gen. Lakara examines weapons captured from Al-Shabaab militants.

He has also held several command, administrative and diplomatic responsibilities both at home and abroad. These may include; 3rd Inf Division Comd, UPDF Chief of staff, 2nd Inf Division Comd, Delegate at East African Community HQ  among others.

He graduated from National Defence College, Karen in Kenya in 2012.