Kampala June 04, 2023 (SD) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed the number of soldiers from his country killed in a recent Al-Shabaab attack on a base hosting the African Union Mission in Somalia.

In a released statement on Twitter, the president said “Before responding to very pertinent questions raised by members of the NRM parliamentary caucus, I updated them on the incident in Somalia.”

Members of the Al-Shabaab militants attacked the Ugandan contingent of ATMIS stationed in the town of Buulamareer, located approximately 130 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.

“We discovered the lifeless bodies of 54 fallen soldiers, including a commander,” Museveni said in a post on his official Twitter account late Saturday.

Museveni also stated that the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) promptly responded to the attack by engaging Al-Shabaab, which has ties to Al-Qaeda.

“Our soldiers demonstrated remarkable resilience and reorganized themselves, resulting in the recapture of the base.” the president added.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has announced that two senior officers from the Ugandan contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) will face court-martial proceedings.

The officers, identified as Maj. Oluka and Maj. Obbo has been ordered by President Museveni to be brought before the military court following the Al-Shabaab attack on the ATMIS base in the village of Buulo Mareer in Lower Shabelle on May 26.

Museveni did not disclose the exact number of his captured soldiers, as Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed, injured, and taken hostage a significant number of Ugandan troops during the assault.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred on May 26, in which they reportedly killed 137 soldiers from the Ugandan contingent.

The President of Uganda confirmed that the attack resulted in the death of 54 Ugandan soldiers and left several others injured.