Reports Leo Odera Omolo
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has called for a no-fly zone to be imposed over Somalia in a bid to curb the influx of arms and the terrorism activities in the war-torn country.
The President made the call yesterday during a closed-door meeting with the 15-nation team from the UN Security Council.
He proposed that the no-fly zone be enforced by the big powers which have aircraft carriers based in the Indian Ocean.
“If such a move is implemented, it will reduce the influx of arms in Somalia by over 70%,” Museveni reportedly told the delegation. The delegation was led by Uganda’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda.
Museveni also told the delegation that the countries that are willing and capable to send troops to the Horn of African county should be supported, and that those which cannot provide troops should fund the operation.
He reportedly told the meeting that the insurgencies fighting the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) are not Somalis but al Qaeda insurgents from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.
At a press conference after the meeting, Museveni reiterated Uganda’s commitment to send more troops to Somalia.
Museveni (centre) with the security council team and Ugandan government officials at State House, Entebbe
He said it was the duty of the international community to help Somalia regain its sovereignty.
The President called for financial support to increase troop levels in the AMISOM. Uganda and Burundi are the only countries that have contributed troops to Somalia, with Uganda contributing the highest number.
“The number of troops is not the problem. If there is everything we need, we can raise the number but they (rich nations) must bring the money,” the President said.
The UN delegation, which was in Uganda for a one-day tour, was not specific on the kind of support it would give to AMISOM. The team later left for Sudan, where it will visit Juba, Darfur and then Khartoum.
Museveni warned the team against any delay in holding the referendum to determine the autonomy of Southern Sudan. He urged the UN to put in place the structures needed for a free and fair referendum in Sudan slated for January 2011.
“The referendum is very crucial and delaying it is highly risky. It is better to involve the UN in the organisation rather than waiting to see what happens after the results,” Museveni reportedly told the delegation.
He pointed out that the African Union did not support the International Criminal Court’s indictment of President Omar El Bashir because they thought it would jeopardise the peace process in Sudan.
Museveni also dismissed a recent UN report on DR Congo that accused Uganda of several human rights abuses and war crimes during the conflicts in the 1990s as a “concoction and lies.”
“These international groups are fictional writers. They should look for other subjects,” he said.
Museveni defended the army, saying it followed a strict code of conduct and could not torture civilians.
Ends