On routine tour of AMISOM Force commanders to all sectors in Somalia under AU troops, the newly appointed African Union Mission Forces Commander Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya visited the remaining AMISOM sectors on familiarization mission, instilling order and guidance to the foreign troops supporting Somalia battle against the Islamists Al-Shabaab.
Lt. Gen. Ndegeya visited the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) serving in Sector II and VI before concluding his trip to Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) stationed in Sector VI of AMISOM in Jubaland State. AMISOM troops are stationed in six sectors from across the regions of Somalia.
The Force Commander was received in Dhobley by Sector II Commander Brig. Gen. Paul Njema and other senior commanders where he inspected a guard of honor mounted by KDF-AMISOM troops. In his statement, he lauded the Kenyan troops for their selfless commitment and indispensable role in restoring stability in the Horn of Africa nation.
He lauded Kenya’s commitment to peace in the region and beyond noting sending its troops to help Somalia to help in stabilization and development. Lt. Gen. Ndegeya, further added that Sector II under Kenyan troops became the first to deploy a rapid response unit highly capable and equipped to respond to any incident within its Area of Responsibility (AoR).
Lt. Gen. Ndegeya praised the Kenyan forces for scoring some of the biggest victories for AMISOM, with the capture of the southern port city of Kismayo in late 2012, which was a hub for the Islamist Al-Shabaab terrorists.
Lt. Gen. Ndegeya ended his tour by visiting AMISOM-ENDF troops in Sector VI where he also took his time to laud the troops for their commitment in the fight against Al-Shabaab besides troop’s efforts to stabilize Somalia.
Sector II and sector VI are in southern Somalia and in semi-autonomous Jubaland State of Somalia bordering Kenya. AMISOM Forces in these sectors together with Jubaland Security Forces (JSF)continue to push and fight terrorists to liberate more towns and help free the local population from brutality.
These tours by Force Commanders are a morale booster to the troops fighting the Al-Qaeda aligned Al-Shabaab in Somalia as they give the Force Commander in office the challenges the troops face besides assessing the gains made by troops in their respective AoR.
