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| Amb.Diarra |
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| Soldiers to a Ugandan burning chopper.Pictures Courtesy |
The
Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for
Somalia, Ambassador Boubacar Diarra, has said that the AU Mission in Somalia
will continue its operations against the al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists in
Somalia despite the unfortunate loss of three Ugandan helicopters en route to
reinforce the mission
The
three helicopters were part of a group of four being sent to Somalia to support
AMISOM – the first time that the 5-year old mission was to be equipped with an
air component. They went down in bad weather in the Kenyan highlands on Sunday,
killing at least two on board. 14 survivors have so far been found and a search
and rescue operation has been launched by the Kenyan authorities to locate 5
others.
“At
this time our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the bereaved, as
well as with the people and Government and security forces of Uganda,” said
Ambassador Diarra. “We are gravely concerned for the safety of those still
unaccounted for and continue to pray that they will be recovered unharmed,” he
added.
He
said that despite the setback, AMISOM remained committed to improving the
security of the people of Somalia and urged the UN and the international
community to expedite the training and deployment of replacement helicopters
and crew.
“As
AMISOM continues to expand into open country, the deployment of these long
awaited enablers, authorized under UN Security Council Resolution 2036, remains
critical for operational, as well as logistical support and medical
evacuation,” he said.
He
paid tribute to the Government of Uganda for its continuing commitment to the
cause of peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia.
He
added that AMISOM would continue to monitor developments in the search and
rescue operation.
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