Burandi and Uganda Call for Revision of AU Mandate in Somalia

(05 Jan 09 - RV) Burundi and Uganda have said they want their troops serving in the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia to be allowed to take action against insurgents.Soldiers from the two countries form a 3,200-strong AU force known as AMISOM that is propping up Somalia's government.An estimated 3,000 Ethiopian troops have also been aiding the transitional Somali administration, but Addis Ababa has said it will withdraw them from the nation.
Burundi and Uganda said they want the AU to revise AMISOM's mandate so that their troops can lead offensive attacks against insurgent groups. But the Apostolic Administrator for Mogadishu, Bishop Giorgio Bertin, says that the AU mission is too small to effectively counter the insurgents...