Remains of fallen soldiers back home

The army has, for the first time, named UPDF soldiers killed during the peacekeeping mission in war-ravaged Somalia. The commander of the Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala, yesterday read to the journalists the names of the four soldiers who met their death on Monday after hardcore Islamist group— al-Shabab—shelled the peacekeepers’ base in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The peacekeepers are mainly guarding the presidential palace and other core facilties.
The dead were named as Sgt. Buni Swali from Yumbe District, Pte Happy Ronald of Bundibugyo, Pte. Otim Ongela from Agago County in Pader and Pte Maxwell Okello of Lira.

Their bodies were flown back home yesterday afternoon. The cargo plane that carried the four Ugandan fallen peacekeepers, touched down Entebbe Airbase a few minutes after 3pm.
It was a sombre mood as the plane taxied on the runaway past the scores of UPDF soldiers who mounted a guard of honour to receive the remains.

Lt. Gen. Katumba Wamala and the UPDF Director of Administration, Maj. Joseph Nambale, stepped forward and saluted to pay their last respects to the peacekeepers. The army brass band broke the silence as they played the national anthem when the UPDF cortege carried the first coffin, wrapped in national colours, out of the plane.

It was the first time the army was inviting the media to cover the return of the fallen Ugandan soldiers who have been killed outside Uganda. The families of the deceased, according to an AMISOM agreement with troop contributing countries, will receive $50,000 (about Shs100m).

Gen. Katumba described the four who were killed in a mortar attack, as gallant sons of Africa. “We send condolences to the families of these gallant sons of the continent who have died for a worthy cause,” he said, “But this will not deter us from the mission because suffering casualties in this operation, is not new”.

He used the occasion to rally African countries to support the 6,300 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers in the fragile Somalia. “We shall not be tired of telling African countries that we need a concerted effort to pacify Somalia,” Gen. Katumba said.

Rallying Africa
Guinea and Djibouti have pledged to reinforce the Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers but Gen. Katumba said the two countries are waiting for military hardware from AU before they deploy.
He reechoed Uganda’s plea to amend the AU mandate to allow the peacekeepers use peace enforcement instead of peacekeeping.

“The soldiers would want the mission to be changed so that they can finish the mission but we must work within the mandate,” he said. The Airforce spokesperson, Capt. Tabaro Kiconco said the bodies stay at Bombo military hospital before they are taken to their ancestral homes for burial.
Capt. Kiconco said the eight injured soldiers who were flown to Nairobi for treating were in stable condition.