Should Uganda withdraw from Somalia

After the recent July 11 2010 bombings in Kampala, many have called for the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from Somalia. However, the President of Uganda has declared war on the Al Shabab rebels who claim responsibility for the attacks.

However, lessons from Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia itself show that we probably will not win unless we follow in the footsteps of Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapaksa which is next to impossible." Rather, i call for the AU to join Uganda and Burundi in continuing to maintain peace in Somalia

Uganda and Burundi did not go to Somalia out of their own volition. Their mandate, as i understand it, is part of the AU resolution under AMISOM created by the African Union's Peace and Security Council on 19 January 2007. Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to AMISOM in March 2007 and Burundi followed in 2008, but the force is still far short of the 8,000 soldiers initially announced by the AU. Unfortunately to-date, no other country has fulfilled their mandate and thus Uganda and Burundi are being targeted by the Al Shabab.

In my view, if the AU countries that pledged soldiers do so, they will not only be able to maintain the situation better, but also make it more challenging for the Al Shabab to attack each and every country that supports AMISOM with troops in order for the fledgling current Somali government to survive.

For Uganda to enter into a full scale war is in my view unwise. Rather, let Africa support AMISOM with troops as promised. Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda have not contributed soldiers to maintain peace and yet this is a regional threat for all intents and purposes.