Tanzania’s stand on whether to deploy its troops to strife-torn Somalia to counter increasing threat from Al-Qa’idah-linked Somali militant group, Al-Shabab, will depend on the outcome of ongoing deliberations at the African Union summit in Kampala, Uganda.

This was stated yesterday by the deputy minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation, Ambassador Seif Iddi in an exclusive interview with The Guardian.

“Currently, I cannot say if Tanzania would deploy its troops to support Somali’s government or not,” the deputy minister said, adding: “Let’s wait for the outcome of the AU summit in Kampala.”

Deployment of troops in Somalia in support of the beleaguered government following increasing Al-Shabab threat to east African countries is top on the agenda of the Kampala summit.

Ambassador Iddi said the outcome of discussions by AU leaders and the agreement that would be reached would determine Tanzania’s course of action.

The terrorist group recently claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in Uganda during the World Cup final that killed 76 people.

That was the first time Al-Shabab had struck outside Somalia’s borders, and the group has threatened further attacks if Uganda and Burundi continued supplying troops to AU peacekeeping force in Somalia.

Despite the attack and threats for more attacks, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said his country was committed to sending 2,000 more troops to Somalia if the east African regional bloc known as IGAD [Inter-Government Authority on Development] agrees.

He also called for AU members to send up to 20,000 troops to Somalia “as soon as possible.”

There are currently more than 5,000 AU troops in Mogadishu from Uganda and Burundi. After the twin bombings in Kampala, Al-Shabab also threatened to attack Burundi.

In May this year, the minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation, Bernard Membe told a press conference in Dar es Salaam that the security situation in Somalia was becoming increasingly desperate.

“It’s chaos. There is neither peace nor security in Somalia; the country is ungovernable… [ellipses as published] the president of Somalia is asking for support from African governments and international security agencies,” Membe said.

“At the meeting held in Turkey (May, this year), the president of Somalia presented a formal request for security support to control insecurity in his country which is largely caused by Islamic extremists.

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