KAMPALA – Brig Gen Anthony Lukwago is the new commander of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) peace troops in Somalia. He officially took over from Brig. Gen. Peter Gaetano Omola, whose tenure elapsed, at the Basecamp sector one headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia. UPDF is currently serving under the African Transmission Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which replaced the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in December 2021.
Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, the reigning ATMIS Forces Commander has emphasized troop aggressiveness against Al-Shabaab to deny them freedom of action. Brig. Lukwago took over at the time when UPDF had started the gradual withdrawal of more than 6000 soldiers.
“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,” Lt. Gen. Okiding said. He explained that handing over Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to Somali Security Forces is an achievement of the African Union mandate of pacifying Somalia.
Lt. Gen. Okiding explained that the Federal Government of Somalia is capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We have started reaping what brought us to this country. Even our brothers and sisters who lost their lives, their blood was not in vain. SNA is now self-sustaining, we have mentored them, and they are building capacity albeit on a small scale,” Lt. Gen. Okiding said.
Somalia President Hassan Shiekh Mohamed extolled ATMIS and SNA for prioritizing efforts in force generation within the shortest period and applauded his Ugandan counterpart President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his foresight in stabilizing Somalia. According to Hassan, if Uganda had not intervened, Somalia would continue experiencing spillovers of insanity.
Brig. Gen. Omola elaborated on the achievements attained during his tour of duty such as combat deployment of air assets in four sectors 1, 3, 4, and 5 as well as continued implementation of the Somali Transition Plan through mentoring and coordination. Other achievements include sustainability operations, facilitation, and provision of humanitarian assistance to local communities to maintain an enabling environment with the Federal Government of Somalia.
Brig. Omola also hinted at 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 to the situation on the ground,” noted Brig. Gen. Omola.
After receiving instruments of command, Brig. Gen. Lukwago, expressed his sincere appreciation to President Museveni for the trust and responsibility bestowed upon him. He, however, 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 challenges. If not well planned, they can be daunting. However, am very confident that with dedication and resilient, 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,” Brig. Gen. Lukwago said.
Both Lukwago and his outgoing counterpart called upon all those under a peaceful Somalia to embrace unity, cooperation, and coordination, adding that sharing ideas will ensure a collective approach to the goal. “I am 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,” Brig. Gen. Lukwago added.
In attendance were 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.
THE INDEPENDENT
