Somali Mission: UPDF’s challenges, strengths
Jan 26, 2007
FINALLY, the President of Uganda and Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Armed Forces, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, has deployed the command structure that will lead the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to Somalia when Parliament gives its approval.
By Joshua Kato
FINALLY, the President of Uganda and Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Armed Forces, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, has deployed the command structure that will lead the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to Somalia when Parliament gives its approval.
History of UPDF’s Somali Mission
This is not the first time Uganda is showing interest in sending peacekeepers to Somalia. Uganda did this in 1992, even before the Americans deployed there. At that time, the Army High Commander had deployed then Lt. Col. Katumba Wamala as the commandant of the force that was set to operate under United Nation’s Army in Somalia. Over 1,000 soldiers were trained at Jinja Training School and other military institutions.
However, deployment was delayed due to lack of clear operational guidelines from the UN and further shelved after what happened to the Americans in Somalia. In 1995, Brig. (now Lt. Gen.) Ivan Koreta led a UPDF contigent for peacekeeping in Liberia. The contigent was commanded by Brig. (now Maj. Gen.) Levi Karuhanga.
After the signing of the Somali Peace Agreement in 2004, a request for Peacekeeping troops to Somalia was made again. Uganda was among the countries that offered troops to the cause being one of the leading facilitators of the talks under Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Uganda’s interest
An unstable Somalia affects Uganda directly and indirectly. For example, Uganda has been a victim of terrorist attacks in recent years. The Allied Democratic Forces, who operated from bases in the Congo and set off bombs in Kampala, were linked to a worldwide network of terrorists, who are believed to have their main base in Somalia.
“The arms that are terrorising people in Karamoja come from Somalia,†says Felix Kulaigye, the UPDF spokesperson. This is one big reason why Uganda has to contribute to making Somalia peaceful. Also, Uganda is considered one of the most powerful and influential powers in Eastern and Central Africa.
Uganda has for the last 20 years been influential in solving conflicts in Rwanda, the Congo and Sudan and because of this, Uganda is rated a regional power. It is thus not surprising that when IGAD and EU made requests for peacekeeping troops to be sent to Somalia, Uganda was among the first countries to heed the call.
Museveni’s decision to send troops to Somalia was opposed by sections of Ugandans, including members of the opposition. However, gradually, this opposition is reducing. “We shall not support the motion unless the Government assures us of security in the north. We need to know what our troops are going to do, who will maintain them and if things turn sour, what the exit strategy is,†says Kasiano Wadri, the opposition chief whip. However, unlike previous missions, the UPDF Somali Mission is passing through the right channels.
The command
The UPDF has got a large pool of experienced commanders. This is why the commander-in-chief did not find problems picking the Somali command. For example, Maj. Gen. Levi Karuhanga is one of the most experienced commanders of the UPDF. He has studied various military courses, including the latest course in China. He was the leader of the Ugandan Peacekeeping mission in Liberia and second in command of UNIMOG forces. He fought in the bush war from 1981 to 1986. .
Col. Peter Elweru, in charge of the Infantry has got immense experience in infantry warfare. He commanded an Infantry Brigade in Pader district battling the Lords Resistance Army for so many years.
According to Kulaigye, Elweru is a highly trained officer. He has just completed a course at the Staff College in Kenya and has other qualifications.
Col. Kyazze will be in charge of the Armoured Battalion and motorised infantry attachments. He is a graduate of the Staff College in Tanzania and an experienced armoured warfare commander. At the time of his appointment, Kyazze was in charge of the UPDF Armoured Warfare School in Kalama.
Training
The battalion was picked from different units in the country. They have trained at Mbarara and Kabamba. All these officers and men are proven professionals. But before any peacekeeping force is sent out, it has to be trained afresh and conditioned for the specific mission.
Training for a peacekeeping mission is multi-encompassing. Soldiers have to be trained in civilian handling, public relations and specific drills related to the area or country, where they are to be deployed. The UPDF battalion got lectures from many people, including policemen, social workers, soldiers and foreign officers who have experience of peacekeeping missions. They were trained in urban close combat and bomb disposal. The training has been going on for over a year, which is enough preparation for the task ahead. The positive thing about the UPDF that countries like Kenya and Tanzania lack, is having fought vicious wars for years. It is common to find peacekeepers, who have never been fired at.
The formations
According to the named command, it is likely that Uganda will send mainly two formations: The Motorised/armoured elements and the infantry. These are encompassed in the 700 or so officers.
The motorised element consists of infantry support and personnel carrier vehicles. In Uganda, this equipment includes the mambas. The armoured personal carriers are armed with machine guns and in some cases light artillery weapons.
The infantry are foot soldiers, armed with sub-machine guns and supported by heavy machine guns and mortars. These are likely to face the highest risk, just in case Somalis fire at them. An armoured battalion consists of at least 12 main battle tanks. The above formations are complimented with vehicles like trucks, jeeps and pick-ups and lorries.
Somalia
Peacekeeping forces are not combat forces. Basically, what a peacekeeping force needs, especially in normal less violent missions are rifles, machine guns and light armoured personal carriers. With Somalia, however, the contingent should be more heavily armed than they are.
A few days after the Ethiopians and the Somali government forces captured power, gunmen started snipping at Ethiopian Patrols in Mogadishu. They attacked a convoy that had a T-55 tank, using machine guns and fired an armour piercing RPG-7D, although it missed the tank. It was the tank that finally beat the ambush. The situation would have been worse for the Ethiopians, if they did not have the tank.
Such scenarios might happen to the UPDF. Overall, the Somali peacekeeping sojourn will be a good learning experience for the UPDF.
The writer is a New Vision journalist
FINALLY, the President of Uganda and Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Armed Forces, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, has deployed the command structure that will lead the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to Somalia when Parliament gives its approval.
History of UPDF’s Somali Mission
This is not the first time Uganda is showing interest in sending peacekeepers to Somalia. Uganda did this in 1992, even before the Americans deployed there. At that time, the Army High Commander had deployed then Lt. Col. Katumba Wamala as the commandant of the force that was set to operate under United Nation’s Army in Somalia. Over 1,000 soldiers were trained at Jinja Training School and other military institutions.
However, deployment was delayed due to lack of clear operational guidelines from the UN and further shelved after what happened to the Americans in Somalia. In 1995, Brig. (now Lt. Gen.) Ivan Koreta led a UPDF contigent for peacekeeping in Liberia. The contigent was commanded by Brig. (now Maj. Gen.) Levi Karuhanga.
After the signing of the Somali Peace Agreement in 2004, a request for Peacekeeping troops to Somalia was made again. Uganda was among the countries that offered troops to the cause being one of the leading facilitators of the talks under Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Uganda’s interest
An unstable Somalia affects Uganda directly and indirectly. For example, Uganda has been a victim of terrorist attacks in recent years. The Allied Democratic Forces, who operated from bases in the Congo and set off bombs in Kampala, were linked to a worldwide network of terrorists, who are believed to have their main base in Somalia.
“The arms that are terrorising people in Karamoja come from Somalia,†says Felix Kulaigye, the UPDF spokesperson. This is one big reason why Uganda has to contribute to making Somalia peaceful. Also, Uganda is considered one of the most powerful and influential powers in Eastern and Central Africa.
Uganda has for the last 20 years been influential in solving conflicts in Rwanda, the Congo and Sudan and because of this, Uganda is rated a regional power. It is thus not surprising that when IGAD and EU made requests for peacekeeping troops to be sent to Somalia, Uganda was among the first countries to heed the call.
Museveni’s decision to send troops to Somalia was opposed by sections of Ugandans, including members of the opposition. However, gradually, this opposition is reducing. “We shall not support the motion unless the Government assures us of security in the north. We need to know what our troops are going to do, who will maintain them and if things turn sour, what the exit strategy is,†says Kasiano Wadri, the opposition chief whip. However, unlike previous missions, the UPDF Somali Mission is passing through the right channels.
The command
The UPDF has got a large pool of experienced commanders. This is why the commander-in-chief did not find problems picking the Somali command. For example, Maj. Gen. Levi Karuhanga is one of the most experienced commanders of the UPDF. He has studied various military courses, including the latest course in China. He was the leader of the Ugandan Peacekeeping mission in Liberia and second in command of UNIMOG forces. He fought in the bush war from 1981 to 1986. .
Col. Peter Elweru, in charge of the Infantry has got immense experience in infantry warfare. He commanded an Infantry Brigade in Pader district battling the Lords Resistance Army for so many years.
According to Kulaigye, Elweru is a highly trained officer. He has just completed a course at the Staff College in Kenya and has other qualifications.
Col. Kyazze will be in charge of the Armoured Battalion and motorised infantry attachments. He is a graduate of the Staff College in Tanzania and an experienced armoured warfare commander. At the time of his appointment, Kyazze was in charge of the UPDF Armoured Warfare School in Kalama.
Training
The battalion was picked from different units in the country. They have trained at Mbarara and Kabamba. All these officers and men are proven professionals. But before any peacekeeping force is sent out, it has to be trained afresh and conditioned for the specific mission.
Training for a peacekeeping mission is multi-encompassing. Soldiers have to be trained in civilian handling, public relations and specific drills related to the area or country, where they are to be deployed. The UPDF battalion got lectures from many people, including policemen, social workers, soldiers and foreign officers who have experience of peacekeeping missions. They were trained in urban close combat and bomb disposal. The training has been going on for over a year, which is enough preparation for the task ahead. The positive thing about the UPDF that countries like Kenya and Tanzania lack, is having fought vicious wars for years. It is common to find peacekeepers, who have never been fired at.
The formations
According to the named command, it is likely that Uganda will send mainly two formations: The Motorised/armoured elements and the infantry. These are encompassed in the 700 or so officers.
The motorised element consists of infantry support and personnel carrier vehicles. In Uganda, this equipment includes the mambas. The armoured personal carriers are armed with machine guns and in some cases light artillery weapons.
The infantry are foot soldiers, armed with sub-machine guns and supported by heavy machine guns and mortars. These are likely to face the highest risk, just in case Somalis fire at them. An armoured battalion consists of at least 12 main battle tanks. The above formations are complimented with vehicles like trucks, jeeps and pick-ups and lorries.
Somalia
Peacekeeping forces are not combat forces. Basically, what a peacekeeping force needs, especially in normal less violent missions are rifles, machine guns and light armoured personal carriers. With Somalia, however, the contingent should be more heavily armed than they are.
A few days after the Ethiopians and the Somali government forces captured power, gunmen started snipping at Ethiopian Patrols in Mogadishu. They attacked a convoy that had a T-55 tank, using machine guns and fired an armour piercing RPG-7D, although it missed the tank. It was the tank that finally beat the ambush. The situation would have been worse for the Ethiopians, if they did not have the tank.
Such scenarios might happen to the UPDF. Overall, the Somali peacekeeping sojourn will be a good learning experience for the UPDF.
The writer is a New Vision journalist