The Somali community in Uganda has appealed to the government for urgently sending the troops to Somalia for a peacekeeping mission.

The Uganda Somali community chairperson, Din Hassan, quoted by New Vision on Saturday, condemned the presence of Ethiopian troops and the U.S.'s air raids in Somalia.

"..., we have been suffering without any assistance. Only (Ugandan) President Yoweri Museveni has shown some gesture of understanding the Somali situation. We are appealing to him to send troops there on a peace-keeping mission," Hassan pleaded.

The appeal came weeks after Ethiopia sent forces to back up the transitional government of Somalia who were repelling the fighters of the Islamic Courts.

The U.S. bombed their hideouts near the Indian Ocean early this week after Kenya has blocked the Somali Islamists from entering the northeastern region.

"Uganda is credible. The Somalis respect Museveni and this would be a good beginning point for reconciliation talks," Hassan said.

Fatuma Mohammed, a businesswoman, however opposed Hassan, saying she was recently in Somalia and noted that the situation would be difficult for the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF).

"Uganda is known to have favored the transitional government. If the UPDF goes there and does not remain very neutral, there will be bigger trouble," she explained. "We only pray to Allah to save us from the Americans."

Sheikh Hassan Ibrahim, the keeper of the Tawhid Mosque, lamented that the US is finishing off people who have already been weakened by hunger, disease and drought.

Many Somalis in Uganda supported the UPDF deployment in Somalia while others, however, cautioned Uganda to think carefully about the situation on the ground first.

Uganda cabinet approved the Somali deployment last year under the auspice of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional bloc that brings together seven countries, which also include Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan.

The peacekeeping mission, however, is still waiting for the final approval of the parliament as early as next month.

Source: Xinhua