Somali radicals vow to revenge Museveni 'provocative' visit

[Coeus]

Somali radical group Hizbu Islam has reacted angrily to Ugandan President Museveni’s surprise visit to the Horn of Africa country.

Hizbu Islam spokesman Sheikh Mohamed Osman Arus vowed that his group would intensify their attacks against the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia (Amisom) to show their displeasure at such provocative gestures.

President Museveni, whose country is one of the two suppliers of the Amisom troops (Burundi is the other), visited Mogadishu briefly on Sunday.

Sinister plans

Sheikh Arus, whose Hizbu Islam movement is led by hardliner Islamist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, accused the Ugandan AU peacekeepers of committing genocide in Mogadishu, adding that their Commander-in-Chief had come to congratulate them for their crimes.

“He (President Museveni) came here to witness how the Muslim people are being harmed,” remarked Sheikh Arus. “He must have felt pleased by the atrocities committed,” he added.

The Hizbu Islam official stated that Amisom had failed in its mandate and that his movement was aware of sinister plans, hinting at more troops coming to Somalia.

While in Somalia, President Museveni met with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh and other Transitional Federal Government leaders at Mogadishu’s international airport.

Uganda and Burundi have contributed troops to serve as peacekeepers under the auspices of the AU, with Uganda being the largest contributor with nearly 5,000 soldiers in Mogadishu out of a total of 8,000.