MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has rejected a request from Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to have Ugandan troops, part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), take control of Ethiopian military bases, Caasimada Online news website reported on Monday.
During a brief stopover in Kampala on Friday, Mohamud proposed that Ugandan forces assume responsibility for Ethiopian positions in Gedo, Bay, and Bakool regions. He also suggested replacing Ethiopian troops in Baidoa, the capital of Southwest state, despite opposition from regional President Abdiasis Laftagaren.
Museveni dismissed the plan, citing Baidoa’s distance from Mogadishu and insurgent-controlled roads. He emphasized that air transport would not suffice for reinforcements in the event of an attack.
The Ugandan president instead recommended that Ethiopian and Kenyan forces remain at their current bases, as they are strategically positioned near their respective borders.
Although the meeting did not yield a favorable response, President Mohamud is exploring other options to remove Ethiopian troops from Baidoa and other key southern Somali cities.
Mohamud, who insists on the conduct of direct elections in southern Somalia, believes that the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Gedo, Bay, and Bakool would weaken opposition from Jubaland and Southwest state to his electoral agenda.
Southwest state President Abdiasis Laftagaren has urged Mogadishu to retain Ethiopian troops in Baidoa, warning that the proximity of Al-Shabaab, just 5 kilometers from the city center, poses a significant security threat to the city.
Somali federal authorities are pressing Ethiopia to relocate its troops from positions near the border to deeper within the country as a condition for their participation in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM), which began operations in January.
