MOGADISHU (SD) -The Ugandan military court sitting in Mogadishu announced on Thursday that two high-ranking officers of their troops are facing court martial for cowardice against an Al-Shabaab attack, last May that left 54 Ugandan soldiers dead.

The General Court Martial Chairperson, Lt Gen Robert Freeman on Tuesday put on trial Gen Stephen Oluka and Brig Gen Zadock Daka, who command Uganda soldiers under the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) over their conduct when al-Shabaab attacked their base in Bulamareer town in Lower Shabelle region in May, said the military in a statement issued in Kampala, the capital of Uganda said the military in a statement issued in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.

The statement noted that the two officers failed to provide effective leadership and allowed their forces to be overrun by al-Shabaab militants.

Two other officers are also facing disciplinary action after they were found to have ignored orders to fight back al-Shabaab, which led to the killing of 54 Uganda soldiers and several others missing.

Al-Shabaab, which wants to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia, claimed to have killed 70 Ugandan soldiers during the May attack in Bulamareer town.