UPDF BG 43 Credited For Key Gains Against Al-Shabaab

The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Battle Group 43 (BG XLIII), which served on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), has been commended for its contribution and operational achievements in the ongoing peace and security efforts in Somalia.

The commendation was made by the Commander 1 Infantry Division, Brigadier General Fred Mwesigye, during the at the International Peace Support Operations Training Centre (IPSO-TC) in Singo, Nakaseke District, where the troops completed a post-mission ideological orientation.

He urged the soldiers to remain disciplined, vigilant, and combat-ready, even after returning home, and reminded them that their responsibility to defend the country remained constant.

“Despite the great successes achieved in the Somalia mission and the fact that Uganda is peaceful, do not lose your guard but remain steady to surmount any situation that would cause insecurity,” Brig Gen Mwesigye said.

Brig Gen Mwesigye urged the soldiers to d actively engage in government wealth creation initiatives, drawing a parallel between security threats abroad and socio-economic challenges at home.

“While in Somalia, the UPDF is fighting Al-Shabaab, in Uganda, there is also Al-Shabaab in the form of poverty,” he said. “You cannot protect civilians when you are poor. Every soldier must work hard and embrace government programs to fight Uganda’s enemy number one, poverty.”

The Commandant IPSO-TC Singo, Colonel Moses Nabaasa, praised BG 43 for its exemplary performance, which, he said, reflected the effectiveness of the revised pre-deployment training conducted at the centre.

BG 43 Commander, Col Robert Koch, outlined the unit’s operational achievements, including joint operations with the Somali National Army (SNA) that led to the recapture of four key towns: Sabid Anole, Awdeegle, Bariire, and Mubarak.

He cited major operations such as “Operation Silent Storm” and “Operation Rolling Thunder,” which significantly degraded Al-Shabaab’s presence in the Lower Shabelle region.

“The mission of Battle Group 43 was to conduct security operations and degrade Al-Shabaab capabilities in Lower Shabelle in order to create conditions for stabilization and sustainable peace in Somalia. Overall, this mission was achieved,” Col Koch said.

He added that a key aspect of the deployment involved mentoring the Somali National Army to strengthen their operational capacity and effectiveness.

The function was attended by senior officers, including Col David Wataasa, Chief Instructor at IPSO-TC Singo; Lt Col Geoffrey Lutaro, deputy commander of BG 43; Lt Col James Tabule, commander of the Yankee Battalion; as well as component and battalion commanders, and members of the Ugandan military training team at IPSO-TC.