Hassan Sheikh in Uganda for graduation of Somali cadets

KAMPALA - Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Kampala, the capital of Uganda ahead of the commissioning of over Cadets who have been training in the country for the last three years, and who are expected to join the onslaught against the Al-Shabaab militants in the country.

Villa Somalia noted that the president will join the new recruits having completed their military training program. It is not clear if Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will be joined by his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, a former military commander who has been in charge of the country since 1986.

"H.E President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Kampala, where he is scheduled to attend the graduation ceremony of a new batch of the Somali National Army cadets who completed their military training program in Uganda," Villa Somalia said in a statement on Saturday.

Uganda, which also contributes over 4,000 soldiers to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia [ATMIS], has been working hard to eradicate Al-Shabaab militants by supporting the Horn of Africa nation through training of the military and at times, equipping them. The soldiers will join the fight against Al-Shabaab.

ATMIS troops are set to hand over security responsibilities to Somali National Army [SNA] by December 2024 and the ongoing training has been adopted as a strategy to help revamp the military of the country which has struggled with instability for the last three decades since the ouster of Siad Barre.

Besides Uganda, Somalia has also sent soldiers to Eritrea for training, some back in December 2022. The US Africa Command has also been training the Danab Special Forces while Turkey has taken in Gorgor soldiers who are specialized in anti-terrorism operations.

For the last seven months, Somalia has been fighting Al-Shabaab militants leaving over 700 dead and hundreds arrested. The operation has largely been successful due to the support from the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, and the local militia who have taken arms against the group.

GAROWE ONLINE