Arrangements for European Union (EU) to train some 2000 Somali troops in Uganda have been finalized.
Tuesday, a plane started ferrying some of the Somali recruits to be trained in Uganda.
At a press conference organized by EU mission in Kampala today, EU officials said that the training programme will last for one year.
Addressing the press, the head of EU delegation in Uganda, Vincent de Visscher said that the “EU will train 2000 Somali soldiers in collaboration with Uganda. All the 27 EU member states agreed to start supporting Somalia in issues concerning peace and security.”
He also said that the European Union is already present on the ground in Somalia where they are carrying out educational and health related programmes.
Speaking at the same conference, the commander of Uganda armed
forces, general Katumba Wamala asserted that the fact remains that “the Somali people should be empowered to fight their own battles”.
He confirmed that Uganda has so far trained 1200 Somalis who are already serving within the ranks of the Somali government forces.
Said Katumba: “We want the Somali to be trained so that they take up the issue of maintaining their security themselves. There is need to train Somali government troops so that they can take control over the rag tag militias who are the source of insecurity in Somalia.”
