Ugandan President Museveni has said that no amount of pressure or threats from the ousted Islamist hardliners in Somalia would stop the deployment of Ugandan troops there. Speaking exclusively to IRIN, a UN news agency, at the weekend, Mr Museveni said Uganda is ready to deploy against all odds "because what the Somalis need is someone to train them, that is all."
| "We are used to those so-called Jihadis ... because we had Turabi here on our border, he was using that language - 'Jihad'. We are black people, this is a black continent - our continent. You cannot bring that Middle Eastern nonsense here. We are not going to accept it. If you bring Jihad, we'll bring back Black Jihad to you." |
Asked about the Islamists death threats against the peacekeepers Mr Museveni said; "That is no problem - we are used to those so-called Jihadis ... because we had [Hassan al] Turabi [a prominent Sudanese Islamist politician] here on our border, he was using that language - 'Jihad'. We are black people, this is a black continent - our continent. You cannot bring that Middle Eastern nonsense here. We are not going to accept it. If you bring Jihad, we'll bring back Black Jihad to you. These are Somali people. They are all Muslims. So Jihad to do what now? [Somalis] have a temporary government now. Restore a normal life; then go for elections, after a little while. So, Jihad against whom?"
Near-daily attacks blamed on ousted Islamist hardliners have put pressure on the interim government, which is struggling to restore stability so that Ethiopian troops who helped it take the capital over the New Year can return home. But the Islamists under the umbrella of Islamic Courts Union have been warning foreign troops not to set foot on Somali land. They have threatened to attack all peacekeepers. |