The Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya, paid a visit to sector 5 troops in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region of Somalia as part of his familiarization tour of all sectors battling the Islamist militants under the AMISOM banner.
Sector 5 which covers Middle Shabelle is manned troops from the Burundi National Defense Force (BNDF), serving under AMISOM located in Jowhar, the capital city of HirShabelle state of Somalia, about 90km from Mogadishu.
Lt. Gen. Ndegeya, took office as Force Commander of AMISOM. He was received in Jowhar on Sunday by the Sector 5 Commander, Brig. Gen. Richard Banyakinbona and other AMISOM officials.
The Force Commander visited troops and later held a security meeting sector 5 commander and other senior military officers.
He applauded BNDF for the unwavering commitment and bravery they exuded in 2011 when fighting alongside Ugandan AMISOM troops and the Somali National Army (SNA), they liberated the Somali capital, Mogadishu which was under the control of Al-Shabaab then.
The Burundi National Defense Forces were the second AMISOM peace-keepers to be deployed to Somalia in 2007, and took an active role in the liberation of Mogadishu. The Force Commander noted that Somalia had played an instrumental role in the maintenance of regional peace in the past and that it was time for the rest of Africa to reciprocate.
He lauded Sector 5 for their operations in the Middle Shabelle region, saying their efforts have seen areas liberated, threats neutralized and securing of main supply routes in the region realized.
Sector 5 Commander, Brig. Gen. Richard Banyakinbona, also on his thanked the Force Commander for making the effort visit the troops and getting to know their need firsthand. He also noted that the Force Commander’s visit would be a morale booster to the troops as they batlle the enemy to achieve the AMISOM mandate of stabilizing Somalia
Source: http://amisom-au.org
