Brig. Gen. Anthony Lukwago Appointed UPDF Commander in Somalia

Brig. Gen. Anthony Lukwago Mbuusi is the new Sector One Contingent Commander, replacing Brig. Gen. Peter Gaetano Omola whose tour of duty ended.

Gen.Omola handed over command to Gen. Mbuusi at Basecamp Sector One headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Speaking as he presided over the hand/take-over ceremony, the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Force Commander Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding emphasized troop aggressiveness against Al-Shabaab to deny the latter freedom of action. “To you Anthony you have come at a time of the most dangerous phases of war-withdrawal. We are phasing down leaving a big gap to cover. The road map to withdraw must be robust. We need to be more aggressive,” he said.

The ATMIS Force Commander pointed out that ATMIS is reaping the benefits of the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) intervention in the pacification of Somalia.

He noted that handing over Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to Somali Security Forces is an achievement of the African Union mandate of pacifying Somalia.

He added that the Federal Government of Somalia can now stand on its own when defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. “We have started reaping what brought us in this country. Even our brothers and sisters who lost their lives, their blood was not in vain. SNA is now self-sustaining, we have mentored them, and they are building capacity albeit on a small scale,” Lt. Gen. Okiding acknowledged.

He appreciated the President of Somalia Hassan Shiekh Mohamed for prioritizing efforts in force generation within the shortest time who are now fighting on their own. Special thanks went to the President and Commander-in-Chief of UPDF Gen. Yoweri Museveni for his foresight in stabilizing Somalia.

He said if Uganda had not intervened, then Somalia would continue experiencing spillovers of insanity.

In his remarks, Gen. Peter Omola elaborated on the achievements attained during his tour of duty. These ranged from combat deployment of air assets in four sectors 1, 3, 4 and 5, continued implementation of the Somali Transition Plan through mentoring and coordination, sustainability operations, facilitation and provision of humanitarian assistance to local communities to maintain an enabling environment with the Federal Government of Somalia.

He further highlighted the challenges faced in Sector One such as inadequate force enablers, poor road infrastructure and harsh environment affecting equipment, and inadequate deployment of SNA to cover the expansive area of responsibility. “The revised ATMIS Concept of Operation requires a FOB to be manned not less than 200 personnel, troops to be agile, lethal, flexible, adaptable and responsive. Yet ATMIS mandate is to conduct a phased handover of security responsibility to Somali Security Forces. The drawdown is not aligned to the situation on the ground,” noted Gen. Omola.

In his acceptance speech, Gen. Anthony Lukwago Mbuusi expressed his sincere appreciation to President Museveni for the trust and responsibility bestowed upon him.

He acknowledged the enormous challenges ahead of him since Somalia is still a theatre of complex operations. “In the event of a mission drawdown, preparations have their own challenges. If not well planned, they can be daunting. However, am very confident that with dedication and resilient, our team will overcome all these mission huddles. If we have achieved a great deal on this mission turning what was once considered mission impossible then this one is doable,” remarked Gen. Mbuusi.

He called upon all those pursuant of a peaceful Somalia to embrace unity, cooperation and coordination, adding that sharing ideas will ensure a collective approach to the goal. “I am committed and dedicated to this course and I encourage you all to approach me with any concerns, suggestions, and ideas that can contribute to the collective success. My door will always be open to all,” Gen. Mbuusi told officers and men at the handover ceremony.

The handover and takeover ceremony was attended by Uganda Defence Advisor to Somalia Brig. Gen. Francis Chemo, Uganda Battle Group commanders, partners from Bancroft International Global and UNMAS and all heads of departments Sector One.