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| Africa Horn |
| First peacekeepers are in Somalia |
| 2007-03-01 |
| A small advance team of African Union troops has arrived in Somalia, say officials in the country. Police sources and airport staff in the southern town of Baidoa told a BBC correspondent that 30 soldiers had arrived in the town on a plane. The group are believed to be Ugandans, although this is denied. Their forces will be the first to deploy in Somalia. Some 8,000 AU peacekeepers are to be sent to Somalia to replace Ethiopian troops, who ousted Islamists last year. But so far only half that number have been contributed by AU member states. Nigeria has said its 850 soldiers will be deployed from the middle of April in three phases. Other countries that have pledged to send troops are Ghana and Burundi. Uganda is to send about 1,700 troops, and President Yoweri Museveni has attended a ceremony in the eastern town of Jinja to see off the first contingent of troops. He confirmed that two battalions are being sent, one infantry and one tank support. Mr Museveni said that they were going to support and empower the Somali government and insisted that Ugandan troops would not be disarming Somalis on the ground. Officials in the Ugandan military deny sending an advance party and maintain that their first troops will not embark for Somalia until the beginning of next week |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Let the rapefest begin! |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-01 18:57 |
| #1 I thought the Ethiopian Army were the first peacekeepers in Somalia. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-03-01 17:42 |