The director peace support operations (PSO), AIGP Grace Turyagumanawe and the deputy director fleet management, Eng. ACP Kirungi Sulaiman have been in Somalia-AMISOM for a four days working visit that was aimed at assessing the personnel on mission and to assess the status of the various equipment deployed there.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is an active, regional peace keeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations in Somalia. It is mandated to support transitional government structures, implement a national security plan, train the Somali security forces, and to assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Uganda is one of the troop contributing countries (TTC) alongside Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Kenya, Ghana, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
The directorate Peace Support Operations is by policy mandated to visit the troops that are deployed in missions once every year both the formed police unit (FPU) and the individual police officers (IPO) to assess the contingent old equipment (COE) and see how viable they are, the type of spares required in case of repairs and maintenance to ensure that the contingent has a fleet which is road worthy.
“By mandate, I am supposed to visit the troops we deploy once every year to assess the personnel and the viability of the equipment, look at the contingent’s old equipment (COE) and see how viable they are in order to give solutions to impending problems both administrative and logistical,” said AIGP Grace Turyagumanawe.
AIGP Turyagumanawe also paid a courtesy visit to the Commander sector I Brig. Gen. Paul Lokech at the sector I headquarters at base camp. The commander pledged to extend a helping hand to Uganda Police force in terms of servicing and repairing of the contingent fleet.
Deputy Director Logistics and Engineering in-charge fleet management for Uganda Police force Eng. ACP Kirungi Sulaiman also visited the troops to assess the viability of the equipment which has been running for some years in order to acquire spares for repairs and maintenance.
According to the AMISOM Commissioner of police Commissioner of Police Alalo Christine, Uganda Police Force has a total of 160 FPU officers and 39 individual police officers. The police component’s mandate is to build the capacity of the Somali police forces which includes training, mentoring, giving peace keeping advice at a strategic level and operational support to the Somali police forces.
She thanked Uganda Police Force for visiting the troops noting that the visit alone gives morale to the police officers to continue working.
“There are challenges in the mission, when a troop contributing country comes, he comes to know the challenges that are faced in the mission in order to offer solutions,” she emphasized.
She for instance said that when someone tells you the rate at which the armored personnel carriers break down, you may not be in position to fully understand why, but once you are on ground, you are able to see the terrain, the salty environment and the fact that the vehicles work 24/7.
The Formed Police Unit contingent commander, SP Anywar Denis informed the delegation that the contingent has a total of nine APCs four of which need minor repairs to have them running.
“Much required are repair works and the timely supply of more spare parts so as to ensure that the fleet is up and running, ready to counter any security threat,” noted SP Denis.
He said that the Uganda formed police unit-6 was deployed in the mission on 2nd August 2017, a platoon of 31 personnel were deployed to Baidoa.
