At 5:30am on September 19, 219, the sun broke through the clouds with a bright ray, lighting up the gleaming Aden Abdulle International Airport in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
The airport is part of the heavily fortified African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base.
Uganda’s elite forces man the major checkpoints inside the base and provide all-round protection to the United Nations compound and its staff.
Inside the AMISOM base are residences for foreign envoys, embassies, and operation centres for various troop contributing countries.
At the airport, a United Nations (UN) helicopter crew prepared the aircraft for a flight to Marka, a coastal town located about 109 km to the southwest of the capital Mogadishu.
The Port of Marka was nicknamed the “port of bananas” due to its status as a key exporter of bananas from Somalia to Europe.
The town, now in ruins, was briefly captured by Al-Shabaab in February 2016 before being retaken by Ugandan armed forces (UPDF) and the Somali National Army (SNA).
Before accessing the UN aircraft, one goes through three rigorous physical checks.
The multiple security layers are, according to a Ugandan soldier in Mogadishu, a precaution against terrorism.
“At work,” said the Ugandan soldier under AMISOM, “we trust no one; we suspect everything. There is no room for error. The moment your guard is down, the consequences can be catastrophic.”
Inside the UN chopper, phones are switched off throughout the flight. No smoking. No alcohol. No photographs. Forks, hammers, pool table balls, perfumes, nails and knives are banned.
On his screen, the flight engineer monitored the flight as the aircraft lifted off or prepared to land.
Aboard the aircraft, one could only marvel at the beauty of the country’s 3,300 kilometer coastline, the longest of mainland Africa and the Middle East.
If Somalia was peaceful, the white sand and stunning coastline would serve as a haven for exotic resorts, attracting millions of tourists across the world.
Passengers are required to wear noise attenuating headsets available on the helicopter.
In Marka, UPDF, with a few SNA soldiers, run a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to support strategic goals and tactical objectives of AMISOM.
It’s here that some of UPDF’s counter insurgency operations are executed. I was among the Ugandan journalists picked by AMISOM to tour Mogadishu and Marka.
On arrival, AK47-wielding Ugandan soldiers under Battle Group 28, rushed to pick us from the UN chopper.
The soldiers were in high spirits. Heavy machine guns were carefully mounted on sandbags. One of the soldiers helped me wear a bullet proof jacket.
The combatants spoke in hushed tones on their walkie-talkies. Some soldiers were taking instructions from a commander at a parade. The toilets were spotless. Clean water is provided to everyone using the facilities.
Counter insurgency
Col Wilberforce Sserunkuma, a battlefield commander, welcomed us to his sprawling base.
His responsibility is overseeing security of Marka, Quoryoole and Awe-digley in Lower Shabelle region of Somalia.
“This is my headquarters,” said Col Sserunkuma as his junior commanders looked on attentively.
“We have troops in many areas here including Kilometre 50/60, Marka and others. My job here is to execute the plans drawn by my superiors,” he explained.
He would later take us to the heart of UPDF’s counter insurgency operations.
“In any war, you must have the civilians on your side. That’s why we have civil military relations programmes to help locals here. We have to win their hearts,” he said.
In the neighbourhood, AMISOM is supporting women to acquire self-help skills such as weaving.
The UPDF has since avoided aggressive raids and mistreatment of detainees, preferring to hand over prisoners of war to Somalia’s National Intelligence Agency.
The Ugandan forces are prioritizing the safeguarding of civilians, restoration of essential services such as running water and medical care, and the rapid development of local security forces to take charge of the vast country’s security.
Having defeated Al Shabaab in dozens of conventional warfare battles, the insurgent group with links to Al Qaeda, has since changed tactics.
According to UPDF contingent commander, Brig. Gen. Michael Kabango, “Al Shabaab’s preferred weapon of choice is Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)).”
The indiscriminate use of IEDs has inflicted colossal damage on civilian populations and the military.
Official records show that between 2011-2018, Somalia saw 9,460 deaths and injuries from explosive violence. Of these, 67 percent (6,319) were civilians.
“Since 2011 when we fought and defeated Al Shabaab in Mogadishu, we no longer have battle clashes. They are attacking us with IEDs. The try to penetrate at night with petrol bombs and pressure plates,” said Brigadier Kabango, an experience battlefield commander.
He previously commanded the 5th UPDF Division in Acholi-Pii, Agago District and served as Uganda’s Military Attaché to Somalia.
The Brigadier also was part of the UPDF Battle Group II, in 2008 which spearheaded surgical military operations against Al Shabaab which was controlling Mogadishu and neighbouring towns.
Brig Kabango said the Al Shabaab “don’t want to fight us. They don’t want to take casualties. They go for our weak points and use a few numbers.”
Much as Brigadier Kabango and Colonel Sserunkuma are implementing UPDF’s counterinsurgency doctrine that makes the welfare and protection of civilians a bedrock element of their military strategy, a mobile force has since been created to combat the enemy.
“We have built our mobile force. You don’t wait for the enemy to attack you. Before they attack, we go for them,” he revealed.
“That makes life very hard for them.”
Diffusing explosives
In Marka, a specialized team of UPDF personnel demonstrated how armed forces are countering IEDS.
“That convoy is supposed to go and take logistics somewhere to another detach,” explained Lt Col Richard Ochaka.
“But along the road, there are some IEDs being discovered on the road. We call on the route searchers and IED team to come and do the route search and locate where the IEDs are and the team will come and destroy them,” said Ochaka.
“This allows the convoy to pass and go.”
The specialized bomb squad members use a portable, hand-held device to detect buried IEDs.
The highly sophisticated, ultra-sensitive device helps Col Sserunkuma’s forces to search and detect IEDs planted by Al Shabaab before conducting motorized patrols or responding to emergency security situations.
For example, a pressure plate can lift an armored personnel carrier off the ground. The concussion of the blast can blow off windows and cause doors to open, throwing occupants from the vehicle. Occupants may not necessarily die of fragments but head injuries.
“They look for all rudimentary explosive materials and put them together to make a bomb,” said a thin soldier trained in countering explosives in Marka.
“But we receive enough training to understand different types of explosives and their components. And we know how to adapt to respond to a change in explosives and techniques.”
Brigadier Kabango said a Ugandan soldier was recently killed by an IED in Somalia.
Sserunkuma said searching for IEDs delays their movements. For example it takes more than three hours to clear a route for soldiers traveling a distance of 50 kilometers.
“After confirming the IED, another team comes to establish the danger of the IED to diffuse it. It cannot take an hour.”
Despite this state of affairs, the Somalis are optimistic of a better future.
“Currently we don’t collect taxes here in Marka but our president was recently here to assess plans for the construction of a new port,” said Lower Shabelle Governor, Ibrahim Adan Ali, commonly known as Najah.
Heavily-armed UPDF soldiers and Somali forces patrol and guard the strategic town.
“The security situation is now better. We used to have clan fights over power and resources which would lead to bloodshed but now this has been resolved,” said Ibrahim as he took us on a tour of the township.
“The UPDF has protected our communities from Al Shabaab and laid a foundation for peace and prosperity. Once a new port is constructed, this place will never be the same again,” he added, pointing at the ruins of what was once a bustling port connecting Somalia with the rest of the world.
In our next articles under the theme ‘The Ugandan Soldier’, we report on some of UPDF’s most intense battles in Somalia; training of Somalia forces to take charge of their country’s security; and consolidating peace in Mogadishu.