Uganda’s military chief Gen. Arodna Nyakairima says his nation is ready to send up to 10,000 reservists to Somalia to prop up the US-backed, self-proclaimed Transitional National Government (TNG). That escalation of the war is predicated, however, on the US paying for it.

Uganda currently has some 4,000 troops in Somalia and pledged to escalate the war in retaliation for attacks in Kampala by al-Shabaab, which were themselves retaliation for Ugandan military attacks inside Somalia.

Other than the occasional incursion or air strike the US has been reluctant to directly involve itself in the Somalia occupation, but behind the scenes they have been eager to support it, sending “tons” of small arms to the TNG (many of which wound up on the black market) and directly funding the AU.

Nyakairima says Uganda would be happy to escalate the war much further, but “we don’t want to overstretch out budgets by calling up our forces and then we have to even pay their salary.” Instead the Obama Administration will be expected to pay for the war, something they seem only too eager to do.

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