Summary:

• The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have formally handed over the security responsibility for the president, VIPs, and critical infrastructure in Somalia to the country’s security forces after 16 years, marking a key milestone in the Somalia Transition Plan.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has officially transferred the responsibility of safeguarding the president, VIPs, and critical infrastructure in Somalia to the country’s security forces. The announcement was made by Somalia’s national security adviser, Mr Hussein Sheikh-Ali, on Sunday. The UPDF had been fulfilling this role for the past 16 years.

In a significant development aligned with the Somalia Transition Plan, Mr. Hussein Sheikh-Ali stated on social media, “SNAF (Somalia National Armed Forces) and SPF (Somalia Police Forces) will proudly take over the responsibility of @TheVillaSomalia (presidency) tomorrow.” He also bid farewell to the UPDF contingency responsible for protecting the presidency, Office of the Prime Minister, and Parliament House over the past 16 years.

This transition is part of the United Nations Security Council and Africa Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) plan to withdraw all troops under its mandate from Somalia by 2024. In the preceding year, the UPDF trained hundreds of Somali Special Forces in Uganda to prepare them for assuming the security duties for VIPs in their country. The trained forces returned to Somalia in March of the current year.

Uganda, as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), was the first to deploy troops to Somalia in 2007 to restore peace to the nation, which had experienced instability since the early 1990s. Following this, in November 2009, the Somali government relocated to Mogadishu under UPDF protection, having previously operated from Baidoa due to threats from al-Shabaab militants.

The late Lt Gen Paul Lokech, former commander of the African Union (AU) forces in Somalia, highlighted the severity of the situation, stating that the Somali President had to operate from a bunker due to constant attacks by al-Shabaab on the presidential palace. UPDF’s offensive efforts led to the retreat of al-Shabaab militants from the capital city, after which they resorted to targeting VIPs and critical infrastructure using tactics like suicide bombings and snipers.

In 2014, al-Shabaab attacked the Somali Parliament with a car bomb, followed by armed combatants entering the premises. Although the militants were eventually repelled, the attack resulted in 10 casualties and several injuries. Additionally, the Ugandan troops played a crucial role in protecting all candidates during Somali elections.