UPDF Troops in Somalia have arrested their own after he fatally shot dead three of his fellow servicemen in a deadly incident since 2019.
The spokesperson of the UPDF contingent in Somalia, Capt George William Musinguzi identified the shooter as Corporal Simon Agaba attached to Base camp in Mogadishu. “This morning, at around 0600Hrs, RA/170986 Cpl Agaba Simon attached to Base camp Mogadishu in Somalia randomly shot and killed three of his colleagues,” Capt Musinguzi said in a statement.
He named the deceased as Lance Corporal Christopher Kigongo, Lance Corporal Lord Charles Mangwi and Private Charles Akatwongyera.
Investigations are underway to establish the circumstances under which a UPDF soldier under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) shot three of his colleagues dead in Mogadishu . The soldier was attached to the 23rd battalion and was deployed to guard at Aden Adde International Airport . The shooting followed an argument among the soldiers .
“Investigations have commenced to establish the true cause of his actions but we suspect the solldier has been struggling with stress disorders. We commiserate with the families of the deceased,” he added.
The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) spokesperson, Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye, told the media “It is true that one of our UPDF soldiers shot and killed his colleagues in Somalia, where they are deployed on a security mission. UPDF has put in place a board of inquiry to investigate the cause of the fatal incident,” he said.
“The suspect behind the incident was arrested and we already have him in our custody. After the investigations, he will be charged accordingly,” the army spokesperson added.
This is the first incident of a soldier shooting his colleagues dead in Somalia in many years. The last similar incident happened in 2019 when a UPDF Captain killed himself after shooting a colleague dead in Somalia.
Ugandan troops have been deployed in Somalia under the African Union Mission in Somalia since 2007 to fight the jihadist organization of Al Shabaab.
The mission in Somalia has expanded into – the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) mandated with stabilizing Somalia and transfer the full responsibilities of national security to the Federal Government of Somalia.
Under the new mission-the UPDF is mandated to building the capacity of the institutions of the Somali government to enable it take over the entire security situation of the country.
