Wednesday, September 01, 2010
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FOUR Ugandan peacekeepers were killed and eight others injured when Somali insurgents shelled the presidential palace in Mogadishu on Monday. Al-Shabaab rebels, an off-shoot of international terror group, Al-Qaeda, last week declared that they would intensify their ‘holy war’ against the UN-backed government in Somalia, which they see as a puppet for the West.
It is unfortunate that the international community is responding slowly to the July 2010 disclosure by the African Union that lack of resources had frustrated the deployment of more troops to the failed-Horn of Africa state.
At least 8,000 peacekeepers are needed in Somalia but since 2008, only Uganda and Burundi have contributed 6,300 troops.
Ugandan Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima yesterday said Uganda was ready to deploy additional 10,000 peacekeepers in Somalia if given the necessary financial and logistical support.
The world has paid dearly on the hands of terrorists. It would, therefore, be a grave mistake to allow a rogue government to take root in Mogadishu.
A stable Somalia is not only good for the Somalis, but the whole international community. Since the collapse of a functional government in Mogadishu in 1991, basic social services also collapsed.
Over one million Somalis have since died as a consequence of war, famine and disease. The cost of international business has also soared as a result of the pirates that operate off the Somali coast.
This situation should not be allowed to continue.
Therefore, the best tribute to the fallen soldiers is for the international community to provide the necessary resources for the deployment of more troops in Somalia and the changing of their mandate from peacekeeping to peace enforcement.
Otherwise, the blood letting in Somali will not end soon and countries that have committed troops might be discouraged.
Source: New Vision