16.11.2015 BBC Africa

 

Kenyan and Ugandan security forces have stepped up patrols in the wake of the attacks on Paris.

Uganda's army spokesman Lt Col Paddy Ankunda said that the "threat of terrorism is real". The head of Kenya's police, Joseph Boinnet, echoed those comments on Twitter and called for the public to be alert. Both Uganda and Kenya have experienced attacks by the Somalia-based militant Islamist group al-Shabab. In April this year 147 people died when a university campus in the Kenyan town of Garissa was attacked.

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05 October 2015 by Africom - defenceWeb

The commander of U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Army Gen. David Rodriguez, finished a weeklong trip to Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Amanda Dory Oct. 2. Dory and Rodriguez met with officials in each country to discuss how AFRICOM and the U.S. Department of Defense can continue to help partner nations strengthen their military capacity.  “Defense cooperation is one of our core missions at U.S. Africa Command because we know that partnering with African states and regional organizations to constantly improve their capabilities and knowledge is important in addressing shared security challenges,” Rodriguez said.

Legions of Merit for AMISOM Support

Rodriguez also presented the Legion of Merit to six officers from the Uganda People’s Defence Force Sept. 30. The recipients are among less than 200 foreign citizens who’ve received the U.S. award and the first from Uganda. The awards specifically recognized the Ugandan officers for contributing to the African Union Mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM, which is charged with reducing the threat of violent extremist organizations like al-Shabbab. First deployed in March 2007, the AMISOM military component has achieved significant territorial gains against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab.  “Continued support to AMISOM is one of the important multinational efforts in place today. As a result of improved security, the Somali people and government have greater opportunities to make progress in the development of governance and economic institutions,” Rodriguez said. In 2014, the Ugandan People’s Defense Force liberated the port city of Barawe, Somalia, cutting off al-Shabaab’s access to what was a base and source of revenue. The UPDF also foiled a major al-Shabaab terrorist attack in Kampala. In Kenya, Rodriguez and Dory oversaw the formal establishment of the Massachusetts National Guard as the U.S. military partner for Kenya as part of the Defense Department’s State Partnership Program Oct. 1. The State Partnership Program is a coordinated effort between the Defense Department, the Department of State, the National Guard Bureau and the combatant commands where the partnered efforts occur.  “Our shared objective is to build professional militaries that, not only are capable of delivering on security priorities, but also respect human rights and adhere to the rule of law,” Rodriguez said. The partnership between the Massachusetts National Guard and Kenya is one of 12 ongoing state partnerships in Africa.  “AFRICOM recognizes the importance of partnership. A stable Africa ultimately means greater opportunities for collaboration toward shared goals and values that bind all our countries together,” Rodriguez said.

Recognizing Partner Efforts

During the trip Rodriguez also discussed how partner militaries in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia support regional security:

Djiboutian training for the Somali National Army has strengthened Somalia’s capacity to defend its government and its people from al-Shabaab. In addition, Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, the sole enduring presence for the U.S. military in Africa.

The Ethiopian National Defense Force contributes troops in support of United Nations peacekeeping forces worldwide, making it the fourth largest contributor globally and the largest in Africa.

With support from the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense, the Somali Armed Forces continue to make progress in partnership with AMISOM to secure ungoverned space, defeat al-Shabaab, and create the conditions for a peaceful Somalia.

Rodriguez said Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, and global leaders are increasingly recognizing the power of Africa’s diversity in people, resources and economies.

 “The link between security and prosperity is undeniable. For this reason, President Obama also identified building defense capacity among African partners as essential to advancing peace and security on the continent. As it works to meet these challenges, Africa is full of opportunity and promise and is becoming a major international player in world security,” Rodriguez added.

30/03/2015 Sources : État-major des armées  

Du 1er au 14 mars 2015, trois officiers des Forces Françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFDj) ont participé en tant qu’observateurs à l’exercice Maliza Ugaidi 15, conduit conjointement par le Burundi, le Rwanda, la Tanzanie, l’Ouganda et les Etats-Unis, à Jinja en Ouganda.

Cet exercice interalliés regroupant 300 militaires, policiers et civils visait à les entraîner à la planification et à la conduite d’une opération en coalition, ainsi qu’à renforcer la capacité de coordination entre acteurs civils et militaires.

Centré sur un scénario de contre-terrorisme, cet exercice était placé sous le regard attentif de 29 observateurs relevant d’organisations internationales (Nations-unies, Union européenne, Union africaine) et d’ONG (le Comité International de la Croix Rouge). Le Kenya riverain faisait également partie des observateurs dont la principale mission consistait à s’assurer de l’application des procédures communes par l’ensemble des joueurs. Pour la première fois, les FFDj ont rejoint ce dispositif. Cette mission d’observation leur a notamment permis de constater la bonne mise en œuvre des savoir-faire opérationnels transmis dans le cadre des détachements d’instruction opérationnels régulièrement réalisés par les FFDj au profit de nos partenaires africains. Cela a également été l’occasion pour les trois observateurs des FFDj de mieux appréhender la complexité et les contraintes de ce type de déploiement civilo-militaire. Ces derniers sont finalement revenus de l’exercice avec un constat plutôt positif mettant en évidence l’efficacité de l’interopérabilité développée par les acteurs.

En conformité avec le traité de coopération de défense signé en 2011 avec la République de Djibouti, les FFDj constituent une base opérationnelle avancée en Afrique de l’Est. A ce titre, elles participent au dispositif militaire français prépositionné permettant de disposer d’un réservoir de forces pouvant être projetées rapidement en cas de crise. Par ailleurs, dans le cadre de leurs activités de coopération opérationnelle, les Forces Françaises stationnées à Djibouti soutiennent leurs partenaires africains dans le renforcement de leurs capacités militaires et dans le maintien de leur aptitude à participer aux opérations de maintien de la paix. Plusieurs fois par an, les FFDj participent ainsi à la formation de militaires africains dont les pays ont des accords bilatéraux avec la France.

12 March 2015 by Oscar Nkala - defenceWeb

The Ugandan parliament has turned down a request from the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) to borrow $170 million for the acquisition of new military equipment, saying the military needs to account for previous emergency defence budgets.

The UPDF request came as a high level Ugandan government delegation led by Foreign Affairs and Regional Co-operation minister Asuman Kiyingi visited Pakistan and toured the Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF), whose products include assault rifles, machineguns, mortars, artillery pieces and ammunition. The POF also produces tanks and anti-tank ammunition, bombs and grenades and has exported its products to more than 40 countries around the world.

According to Ugandan media reports, the UPDF's request for emergency funding was presented by its commander General Katumba Wamala and defence minister General Jeje Ondongo. The two generals told parliament that the army needs new equipment to deal with a 'volatile' national security situation and regional instability caused by militia activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Al Shabaab militants.

The defence officials also cited the recent discovery of oil in the country saying this was also likely to attract new national security threats. A member of parliament who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity said the request was turned down because the defence officials refused to provide details of the equipment requirements.

“They told us that they must secure the country and the equipment they have does not match modern technology. They are asking for $170 million to acquire modern equipment because of the volatile situation within the country and the region, especially in Congo and Somalia.

"They refused to disclose the type of equipment they want to purchase under the guise of classified expenditure, but some of us said no to this classified expenditure because under the current fiscal year, we passed a lot of classified expenditure but they have not given us the status report on how they used it,” the MP said.

Gen Wamala reportedly told parliament that the army could not disclose the types and quantities weapons sought because doing so could compromise national security. However, Pakistani media reports said the Ugandan delegation which visited the POF demonstration lounges and armaments factory units showed 'keen interest' in acquiring several weapons for the UPDF.

The delegation was taken around the POF complex by chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Ahsan Mahmood, who is also the company director of exports. “I was very much impressed by the capacity and capabilities developed by the government of Pakistan in the armament industry. Uganda should collaborate and cooperate more with Pakistan so that we can tap into each others potentialities," Kiyingi said.

In a statement released after the Ugandan tour, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two countries agreed to further strengthen co-operation with Uganda in fields of defence and security among others.

"During the official talks both sides emphasized the need for high-level political contacts and enhancing cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry, defence and security. It was agreed to conclude, at an early date, a new MoU on bilateral political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Pakistan and Uganda," the statement said.

The Ugandan delegation's tour will be reciprocated with a visit to Pakistan by President Yoweri Museveni in the second half of this year. Both countries will be seeking to expand relations based on the existing bi-lateral Technical Assistance Programme, through which 21 Ugandan diplomats have been trained at the Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan.

Early this year, the United Nations Security Council's Panel of Experts (PoE) monitoring the implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said there are indications the Uganda wants to acquire 'non-lethal' military equipment from the reclusive communist state following the visit of a high-level military delegation to Kampala in October last year.

North Korean instructors have over the past few years trained the Ugandan Police Special Force, Police Construction Unit, Criminal and Forensic Investigation Unit in specialised martial arts, marine policing and sharp shooting.

Ongoing programmes include the training of a special paramilitary police unit known as the Field Force Unit on the use of AK-47s and pistols. It also remains unclear if the UPDF's equipment needs include provision for regional ally South Sudan.

In October last year, the two countries signed a military procurement agreement in terms of which Uganda will buy weapons on behalf of its neighbour which has come under a UN arms embargo following the outbreak of the ongoing civil war in December 2013.

02 July 2014 defenceWeb (Reuters)

Seleka fighters in the CAR.Uganda's army said on Tuesday the mainly Muslim Seleka group in Central African Republic was now its enemy as the fighters were "in bed" with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels they are hunting there.

A spokesman for the Ugandan army said its forces in CAR had clashed for the first time with Seleka, killing 12 and suffering one casualty. A Seleka official told Reuters on Monday that 15 of their fighters and three Ugandan soldiers were killed.

"Seleka had never tasted our fire. I think it was important that they taste our fire so that they are careful," Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) said, when asked about clashes on Sunday and Monday in CAR.

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16 September 2013 BBC Africa

Uganda has suspended 20 army officers accused of corruption in Somalia while battling Islamist militants as part of an African Union (AU) force, a Ugandan army spokesman has told the BBC.

The officers are accused of selling food and fuel, meant for troops, on the black market, reports say.

The Ugandan contingent head, Brigadier Michael Ondoga, is among those being investigated.

Uganda is the biggest contributor to the AU force of about 18,000.

The force, funded mainly by the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) is fighting the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group in Somalia.

Brigadier Ondoga has not commented on the allegations.

'Only one meal'

He was among the officers who had been recalled for allegedly "getting involved in conduct injurious" to the AU force, a Ugandan defence ministry spokesman said, AFP news agency reports.

Army spokesman Colonel Paddy Ankunda told the BBC Swahili Service that the 20 would remain suspended, pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against them.

The investigation followed complaints by junior officers of "unscrupulous conduct" by their superiors, he said.

This included allegations that junior officers were not being paid and food meant for them was being sold, Col Ankunda told the BBC.

The suspended officers would be court-martialled and dismissed from the army if found guilty, he added.

Uganda's privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper said in a report that Ugandan soldiers in Somalia often get only one meal a day because of the alleged theft and sale of food to private companies.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni had cancelled Brig Ondoga's appointment as military attache to Kenya, it reports.

He was due to have taken the post when his term as head of the Ugandan contingent in Somalia ended at the end of the month, the Daily Monitor adds.

Uganda has more than 6,000 troops in the AU force in Somalia.

Other countries that have deployed troops to Somalia as part of the AU force include Burundi, Kenya and Djibouti.

The force has helped the UN-backed Somali government regain control of key cities and towns from al-Shabab.

However, most of southern Somalia still remains under al-Shabab's control.

12 March 2012 defenseWeb (Reuters)

Ethiopia, which has deployed hundreds of troops inside Somalia to rout Islamist insurgents, is set to withdraw from the war-ravaged country by the end of April with Djibouti, Uganda and Burundi poised to step in, the African Union said.

Ethiopian forces captured the rebel stronghold of Baidoa in southern Somalia last month having seized Baladwayne from the al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab group on New Year's Eve.

Troops from Ethiopia crossed the border in November to open up a third front against the militants, who are also fighting 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Kenyan forces to the south, Reuters reports.

Keen to point out their incursion is not a repeat of their ill-fated 2006-2009 war in Somalia, Ethiopian officials have said troops would only be deployed for a brief period.

Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council voted to expand AMISOM, which supports the shaky Western-backed government, to nearly 18,000 soldiers, and will include Kenyan troops who will "re-hat" to its blue berets.

Chiefs of staff from troop contributing countries met in Addis Ababa to iron out details of the expanding mission.

"It provides for Djiboutian forces to be deployed in Baladwayne by the end of April at the latest. Two thousand five hundred troops from Burundi and Uganda will also be deployed in Baidoa by the 30th of April at the latest," the AU's Ramtane Lamamra said of a deal signed by the officials.

"The decision up to now is that it is essentially Baladwayne and Baidoa (for Ethiopia) and they have to be handed over to AMISOM and then Ethiopia will withdraw its forces to its own national territory."

Lamamra, the bloc's commissioner for peace and security, also said a Djiboutian contingent would be deployed in Mogadishu.

Ethiopian soldiers previously went into Somalia in 2006, and left in early 2009 after pushing the Islamist Islamic Courts Union out of the capital Mogadishu.

At the time, most Somalis opposed the intervention and analysts said it may have encouraged people to join al Shabaab.

COSTLY

Lamamra, however, said there was a slim possibility the bloc could ask Addis Ababa to push further.

"Because Ethiopian troops are assisting ... without being re-hatted unlike Kenya - it means this effort is being done on national resources and national budget, I don't see how we can ask them to go further, to do more if there is no accompanying support package," he said.

"If we succeed to work out some support package for Ethiopia, we may be in a position to request the government to consider the possibility to help us elsewhere."

Lamamra also said Sierra Leone was expected to deploy a battalion of 850 troops in southern Somalia by the end of June.

Somalia has been in turmoil since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Fighting has killed more than 21,000 people since al Shabaab launched its insurgency in 2007.

Al Shabaab rebels, who want to impose a harsh interpretation of sharia law on the Horn of Africa nation, have waged a five-year campaign to drive Somalia's weak government from power.