Uganda reports 54 peacekeepers killed in Somalia attack

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni wrote on Twitter that 54 Ugandan peacekeepers were killed during a siege by militants last week on an African Union base in Somalia.

“We have recovered the bodies of 54 soldiers who were martyred, including that of a commander,” he said.

Al-Shabaab, a militant group fighting against the Somali central government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the May 26 attack, saying it had seized the base.

A local resident and a Somali military commander told AFP the militants drove an explosives-laden car to the Bulo Marer base, 120 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

The death toll is the highest since pro-government forces backed by AU forces launched an offensive against Al-Shabaab in August last year.

ATMIS forces include representatives from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, and troops are stationed in southern and central Somalia.