The Democratic Party (DP) has joined Ugandans to mourn the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers who were killed at their base in Somalia during an attack by Al-Shabaab militants.
“As the Democratic Party, we would like to condole with all the families and soldiers who lost their lives in the Al-Shabaab terrorist attack after their base was overran in Buulo Marier, Somalia,” Ismail Kiirya, the President of Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), said.
Kiirya made remarks while addressing the press at City House in Kampala on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, during the Democratic Party (DP) weekly press conference.
Kiirya commended the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) for the tremendous work done since their deployment in Somalia.
He, however, expressed interest in reviewing the continued stay of the UPDF in Somalia to ascertain its importance to Ugandans.
“As the Democratic Party, we demand a strong audit of the Uganda Army’s continued stay in Somalia. UPDF went to Somalia in 2007 under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISON), which expired in 2022 and was again replaced by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)”, he said.
However, according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2628 (2022), adopted by the security council at its 9009th meeting held on March 31, 2022, ATMIS is mandated to support peace and reconciliation in Somalia through fostering justice and local government, among others.
ATMIS’ mandate will end in 2024 with the full transition of security operations to the Somali National Armed Forces.
DP’s Kiirya therefore requested that the families of those who lost their loved ones be compensated, stating that the victims were serving their country.
However, according to information from ATMIS, the injured soldiers in the recent attack by Al Shabab militants will be compensated $10,000 (Shs 37 million), while each family of the killed soldiers will be compensated $50,000 (Shs 185 million).
On Friday, May 27, 2023, over 800 Al-Shabaab militants attacked a UPDF base in Somalia and killed 54 soldiers. However, the UPDF later confirmed the recapture of Buulo Mareer and the surrounding villages from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.
