UPDF has dismissed General David Muhoozi’s suggestion that the army is stuck and unable to execute its duties in war torn country Somalia.
But the UPDF admitted its facing challenges which are being addressed by the necessary authorities.
On Monday a local newspaper Daily Monitor reported that the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen David Muhoozi, has said Ugandan soldiers deployed in Somalia to fight the al-Shabaab are stranded due to underfunding, logistical deficits and a challenged Somali national force.
“It has now implied that we cannot defend what we already have and neither can we effectively offend the enemy to degrade [its] capacity. That is the dilemma we are in and that is why the TCCs (Troop Contributing Countries) met to put across the concerns of the mission, so that with the international partners, we can find a way forward,” Muhoozi was quoted by Daily Monitor.
The army publicist Brig Richard Karemire rushed to refute the report on his social media page Twitter.
“The UPDF is certainly not stuck in Somalia .Today’s headline in the Daily Monitor gives an incorrect impression. Despite some challenges and which are being addressed,” wrote Karemire adding that The AMISOM remains on course and significant successes have since 2007 been achieved.
Gen Muhoozi, in an interview with Daily Monitor last Thursday,said UPDF has as a result collapsed some of its forward operating bases to consolidate defensive strength and cannot launch attacks against Al-Shabaab.