Uganda military has announced that it is cancelling rotation of troops serving as part of the AMISOM contingent in Somalia.
A government spokesperson, Brig. Richard Karemire, relayed these plans to Xinhua in a phone interview on Saturday.
Brig. Karemire explained that the top echelons of Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) had made the decision because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is spiraling out of control.
UPDF has taken this measure to protect its troops after news from Somalia indicated that one of its troops had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and nine others placed in quarantine.
Karemire said, “This is one of the measures we are putting in place to protect our troops in both Somalia and Equatorial Guinea.”
UPDF’s troops are in Equatorial Guinea to engage in capacity building. Just like in Uganda, the two countries are also grappling with the challenges posed by COVID-19.
Currently, UPDF has over 6,000 troops in Somalia while more than 100 of its officers are serving in Equatorial Guinea.