20100713
africanews

Uganda's army insists it will not withdraw from peacekeeping mission in Somalia due to the Sunday night bombings in Kampala by Al Shabaab- an al-Qaida-affiliated militant faction in Somalia. The twin blasts in Kampala that targeted people watching World Cup finals killed 74 people and left 70 others critically injured.

Al-Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamed Rage said Monday that they were responsible for the bombings. He said it was in revenge for the presence of Uganda’s army in Somalia.

Now, Felix Kulayigye, Uganda's Peoples Defense Forces spokesperson, told our reporter that withdrawing is not the best option.

He said those advising Ugandan army to withdraw are, “simply advising us to be cowards,” stressing that “it is important to face a problem and solve it instead of running away.”

Burundi and Uganda have each 2,500 peacekeepers in Somalia for Amisom, the African Union's peacekeeping force.

Meanwhile burial is taking place for some of those killed in the bomb blasts. Our reporter in Kampala says relatives of those killed in the blasts have been collecting their bodies some without heads and limbs from mortuaries in Kampala. Transported in wooden coffins on pickup vehicles, some bodies have been taken as far as Mbarara-some over 300 kilometres from Kampala- for burial.

Kampala city remains calm with people doing their businesses.