Mogadishu - The UN Guard Unit (UNGU) in Somalia conducted a change of command ceremony today with an incoming contingent of soldiers. Lt. Col. Mike Hyeroba took over the command of the Guard Unit from Lt. Col. Keith Katungi, who has completed his tour of duty.

“We welcome the new contingent and we hope that they will walk in the footsteps of their predecessors and similarly perform with excellence in the coming year. We have been able to achieve our mandate as the UN because of the protection and the enabling environment that they accord us,” said Raisedon Zenenga, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia during the handover ceremony.

Mr. Zenenga handed over the UN flag to the new Guard Unit commander during the ceremony, which was held in the UNSOM compound in Mogadishu.

Maj. Gen. Peter Elwelu, the Chief of Land Forces of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, expressed Uganda’s readiness to continue providing troops to UN Missions. He praised the outgoing contingent of soldiers and their commander for an exemplary job.                                                                                                   

“We would like to thank the UN leadership for trusting Uganda and accepting us to provide them with security in Somalia. We are happy and prepared to continue providing our troops to serve in UN missions,” he said.

Lt. Col. Hyeroba will be at the helm of the UN Guard Unit, whose members arrived in Mogadishu last week. This is the fourth UN Guard Unit to deploy in Somalia since May 2014.

The UN Guard Unit consists of troops from Uganda and provides protection to UN civilian personnel, UN facilities and installations in Somalia.