Uganda: catch all

[Rex Brynen]

I wonder if this action by Al-Shabab in Uganda and any potential ensuing acts in the country or in participating AMISOM nations, will eventually force governments like that of Uganda to withdraw what forces they have from participation in the mission?

I suspect that the bigger factor will be the situation in Mogadishu, where the fighting has been fairly intense in recent days.

IGAD has pledged 2,000 more troops for AMISOM, although it isn't clear who will provide them. Interestingly, the Ugandans have been asking for a relaxation in the RoE so that they can go after al-Shabaab more assertively.

If the Ugandans feel, however, that AMISOM (and the TFG) are a lost cause, and that they're fighting and dying for no discernable reason, that might cause them to reconsider the mission.

Of course, the key Ugandan role in AMISOM explains why they might have been a target for the bombings (with the caveat that one should never automatically believe immediate claims of responsibility for these things).


Pic: Ugandan forces, AMISOM