Uganda, Somalia ties strong - minister Thursday, 8th October, 2009

THE arrest of Somalia’s state minister of defence in Kampala will not affect the relations between the war torn country and Uganda, the Government has said.

Regional cooperation minister Isaac Musumba yesterday said the incident arose because Sheikh Yusuf Mohamed Siad arrived in the country secretly yet he is a dignitary who must follow diplomatic procedures.

“He was here incognito and our security agencies, who carry out surveillance on foreigners, arrested him unaware he was a minister,” Musumba told journalists at the Media Centre in Kampala.

Musumba explained that the Government would not issue an apology, but would talk to the Somalia government through diplomatic channels.

While the minister congratulated the security agencies for being vigilant, he reiterated that diplomats and high profile people who intend to travel to Uganda should inform the Government.

Musumba said his Somalia counterpart drove into Uganda from a neighbouring country he did not name on what he perceived as a private visit.

He said the Government had not established what the visit entailed.

Asked whether the arrest on Tuesday night left the Somalia minister injured, Musumba replied: “Our information is that during the course of arrest, he could have put himself in a position where he was apprehended in a manner that the security personnel thought was appropriate.”

On whether the arrest was connected to the fear of a terrorist attack on the country, the minister said: “The security agencies are vigilant on any person who cannot account for their stay in Uganda. It is not just terrorism, but any other person in Uganda.”