KAMPALA: In a late-night statement on Saturday, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni confirmed casualties following an attack by Somalia’s al Shabaab group on a military base manned by Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia. This marks the first official admission of losses among the Ugandan troops serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
President Museveni did not disclose the exact number of soldiers killed or wounded in the attack. However, he expressed condolences to the country and the families of those who lost their lives. He also announced that a panel would be set up by the country’s military to investigate the incident.
The al Shabaab group has been engaged in a fight against Somalia’s Western-backed government since 2006, aiming to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Uganda’s Peace Mission Came Under Attack
According to President Museveni, some of the soldiers present at the military base did not perform as expected and panicked during the attack. This led to disorganization, allowing al Shabaab to overrun the base and destroy equipment. The assailants, numbering around 800, forced the Ugandan troops to withdraw to a nearby base located approximately nine kilometers away.
The attack on the base in Bulamarer, situated 130 kilometers southwest of the capital Mogadishu, took place early on Friday. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility, stating that it carried out suicide bomb attacks and killed 137 soldiers at the base. However, there has been no official confirmation of the casualties from the authorities. Al Shabaab often provides casualty figures that differ from those reported by official sources.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which has been deployed in Somalia since 2007, assists in defending Somalia’s central government against Islamist forces. However, ATMIS has not yet disclosed the number of troops killed or wounded in the recent attack.
