8/2/08

Roadside bomb kills Ugandan peacekeeper

afrol News, 1 August - Ugandan peacekeeper has been killed by a roadside bomb in the Somalian capital, Mogadishu today, AU official confirmed.

An explosion, which occurred near the Ugandan base at Mogadishu's international airport, targeted a six vehicle African Union convoy from the airport, killing soldiers including a Ugandan contingent man.

Several eyewitnesses on the spot confirmed that the attack scared Mogadishu's most heavily guarded tour.

Another witness said a bomb was hidden in a pile of garbage and exploded as soldiers were making routine checks on the road.

A local resident Mohamed Ali Nur said one of the vehicles was destroyed and that AU forces sealed off area. He did not know how many people were hurt in the incident.

Somalia has seen a string of assassination plots and explosions on government officials in recent months since Islamic insurgents demanded withdrawal of Ethiopian troops who had been backing the Somali government since 2006. They helped in flushing out the Islamic Courts Union that controlled most parts of the country in December 2006.

Somalian President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was himself a victim of a road side bomb in June when his motorcade was hit.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia has also expressed concern at the rapidly deteriorating security situation characterised by killing of aid workers in Somalia, where Islamists insurgency continues to thrive.

The AU peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi arrived in Somalia last year as a separate force from the Ethiopian troops. These peacekeepers are mostly confined to bases near Mogadishu's airport, port and government buildings while Ethiopians are based around the country.

Some 2,600 AU peacekeepers have been deployed in the lawless Horn of African sate, a figure which falls far short of the 8,000 soldiers pledged by continental body in 2006. Earlier this year Uganda was the first country to contribute troops and was followed by Burundi.

The Ethiopian backed transitional government and the main Islamist political opposition movement signed an agreement in June, leading to a splinter in opposition ranks, with hardliners insisting the complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops before peace talks begin.

Somalia has experienced almost constant civil conflict since the collapse of the country's Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in January 1991. The country had since been bereft with a functioning government.




--
Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66

No comments:

Post a Comment