First AU peacekeepers land in Somalia’s Baidoa

BAIDOA – A group of Ugandan army officers arrived in Somalia on yesterday, the vanguard of an African Union force being formed to help the interim government tighten its tenuous grip on the country.

The uniformed Ugandans disembarked from a cargo plane which landed at the government stronghold of Baidoa early in the morning, a customs officer told Reuters. “Thirty-five officers from Uganda came out and the plane left,” customs officer Ali Mohamed Adan told Reuters.”I have seen Ugandan officers arrive in Baidoa airport,” police officer Isak Hassan Warsame told Reuters.A security source, who declined to be named, said he expected the rest of the Ugandan contingent to arrive in the next 24 hours.The Ugandan government, which has pledged 1 500 troops for the mission, denied any of its soldiers had reached Somalia.”There are no (Ugandan) troops in Baidoa.There are no troops in Somalia,” said Ugandan army Captain Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the AU mission.”We’re leaving next week.”Baidoa is the south-central trading town which the government used as a temporary base before ousting rival Islamists from the coastal capital Mogadishu in a joint offensive with its Ethiopian allies.The town is expected to be a key rear staging area for the proposed 8 000-strong AU force which will replace the Ethiopian troops who helped President Abdullahi Yusuf’s government defeat the militant Islamist group in a two-week December war.A soldier at Baledogle airport, the country’s biggest military airfield 100 km west of Mogadishu, said six Ugandans his commanding officers told him were soldiers landed for a short meeting early yesterday.”They were wearing civilian clothes.The plane took off at 9:15 am after they met military officers at the airport,” said the soldier, who declined to give his name.Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, and Burundi are also expected to send troops to bring the force to about half its planned strength of nine battalions, or 8 000 soldiers.Nampa-Reuters”Thirty-five officers from Uganda came out and the plane left,” customs officer Ali Mohamed Adan told Reuters.”I have seen Ugandan officers arrive in Baidoa airport,” police officer Isak Hassan Warsame told Reuters.A security source, who declined to be named, said he expected the rest of the Ugandan contingent to arrive in the next 24 hours.The Ugandan government, which has pledged 1 500 troops for the mission, denied any of its soldiers had reached Somalia.”There are no (Ugandan) troops in Baidoa.There are no troops in Somalia,” said Ugandan army Captain Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the AU mission.”We’re leaving next week.”Baidoa is the south-central trading town which the government used as a temporary base before ousting rival Islamists from the coastal capital Mogadishu in a joint offensive with its Ethiopian allies.The town is expected to be a key rear staging area for the proposed 8 000-strong AU force which will replace the Ethiopian troops who helped President Abdullahi Yusuf’s government defeat the militant Islamist group in a two-week December war.A soldier at Baledogle airport, the country’s biggest military airfield 100 km west of Mogadishu, said six Ugandans his commanding officers told him were soldiers landed for a short meeting early yesterday.”They were wearing civilian clothes.The plane took off at 9:15 am after they met military officers at the airport,” said the soldier, who declined to give his name.Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi, and Burundi are also expected to send troops to bring the force to about half its planned strength of nine battalions, or 8 000 soldiers.Nampa-Reuters