9-July-2024

An officer of the Ugandan army operating in Somalia has died and six other soldiers have been injured after the military convoy they were traveling with exploded in a roadside mine.

The man who was killed was a captain of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), and his name is Patrick Opio Away.

The explosion that killed the officer took place in the village of Eel-warigow, which is about 70 km south-west of the capital city of Mukidsho, according to Ibrahim Kasule Sekitto, the spokesman of the Ugandan army who spoke to Reuters news agency.

Al-Shabaab was accused of being behind the attack.

Awany was commanding the convoy, which was heading from Mogadishu to Ceeljale in the Lower Shabelle region, Sekitto told Reuters.

“This attack won’t deter us, it will instead stiffen our resolve to continue supporting peace efforts in Somalia,” he said.

Al Shabaab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple Somalia’s central government and install its rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Major Patrick Opio Away, is the brother of one of the political leaders in Uganda who has a high power in the ruling party in Uganda NRM

Away, they are brothers of Richard Todwong, who is the secretary general of Uganda’s ruling party called the National Resistance Movement (NRM), and is also a member of the country’s cabinet.

Richard Todwong, who used to be known as X on Twitter, posted a message expressing his shock at the death of his brother, Major Patrick Opio Away.

“I celebrate my brother, Captain Opio Patrick Away. Your dedication to protecting our country was your motto and you approached your duties with passion.

Todwong also mentioned that his brother has participated in many wars in Central African countries, East DRC Congo and Somalia, he went on missions to all these countries.

He described all the activities he participated in with his brother as “brave”.