By Kampala Post Reporter
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira on Thursday handed over recovered weapons to the Somali National Security Advisor Abdisaid Muse Ali.
The handover ceremony took place at the sector one headquarters in Mogadishu. The weapons were recovered from Alshabaab terrorists over time by the Ugandan troops serving under AMISOM, and have since been under sector one custody manned by the UPDF.
In his remarks, Ambassador Francisco Madeira commended AMISOM and particularly sector one for the many achievements which included liberation of some areas and recovery of weapons used by Alshabaab.
The National Security Advisor Abdisaid Muse Ali on behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) thanked AMISOM for their contribution towards bringing peace in the country as well as mentoring the Somali National Army (SNA) towards becoming a capable and dependable force.
The Sector One Commander Brig Gen Richard Otto said the logical support by United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) has greatly enabled AMISOM to work jointly with Somali National Army against the Alshabaab. He said that Alshabaab extremists remain a threat especially in areas not controlled by AMISOM, adding that they continuously use Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs) aimed at killing Somali civilians.
“Alshabaab uses IEDs in so many forms. Their main activities are killing innocent civilians and also targeting AMISOM and some partners,” he noted.
Present at the function was the AMISOM Force Commander Lt Gen Tigabu Yilma, Deputy Force Commander Lt Gen James Nakibus Lakara, SNA Chief of Defence Forces Brig Gen Odaawa Yusuf Rague, Members from the Federal Government of Somalia and Office of Somali National Security among others.