Uganda President Yoweri Museveni spent Tuesday night with the Uganda People’s Defence Force commanders at the Halane military camp in Mogadishu.
The camp is the largest African Union Military base in the Somali capital.
In his second visit to the troops from November 2010, Museveni appreciated the services offered by the troops.
“I thank you for helping our brothers and sisters in pacification of Somalia, and being a good example of unity,” the President said.
He urged the troops to resist parochialism based on religion, gender disparities and clans, which he said is one of Africa’s major problems.
Museveni was in Somalia for the 28th Igad plus extra-ordinary summit of heads of States hosted by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Tuesday.
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Somalia is one of the eight members of the regional bloc with Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea, established in 1986.
UPDF was deployed in 2007 and currently maintains the largest peacekeeping force of 6,000 in Somalia.
The Ugandan force recently has hinted that it would pull out of the region, citing cutting of support by the donor community according to the Monitor.
Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti forces are also in Somalia for peacekeeping with funding from the EU, US and United Nations.