US gives army 20 trucks

Mar 22, 2005

THE U.S government has donated 20 Toyota Hilux trucks worth $800,000 to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) as part of the USA military assistance programme to Uganda.

By Chris Ochowun and Justin Moro

THE U.S government has donated 20 Toyota Hilux trucks worth $800,000 to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) as part of the USA military assistance programme to Uganda.

US ambassador Jimmy Kolker handed over the dark-green vehicles to the Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima, at the UPDF 4th Division headquarters in Gulu on Tuesday.

Kolker said the cars were intended to enhance the capacity of the UPDF’s 4th and 5th Divisions to protect civilians in the north against LRA attacks, by improving troop mobility.

“This donation represents no change in US support for constructive dialogue initiated by President Yoweri Museveni towards a peaceful resolution to the northern conflict and we continue to urge all parties to support the process.

“We also support the two approaches of peaceful means and military pressure to end this conflict speedily. These are not junk trucks but brand- new cars,” he said.

Kolker, who was accompanied by Col. Orth, said, “The US has a small military assistance in Uganda, of which the donation was an element.”

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});