Ugandan security forces bundled Somalia's state minister for
defence into a car and detained him at an undisclosed location in
the capital Kampala.
The incident initially triggered fears among relatives and
colleagues that Sheikh Yusuf Mohammad Siad, a former warlord also
known as Inda'ade or white eyes, had been kidnapped by Islamist
insurgents or a foreign intelligence service.
But Uganda's military spokesman said local security forces had
detained him because his visit aroused suspicion.
"It is true. He is in our hands. He came here for unclear reasons
and we picked an interest in him. You can't come here as a high
profile person without notice," Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye
said.
He declined to give more details.
Somalia's ambassador to Kampala, Siid Ahmed, confirmed Inda'ade was
in Ugandan custody and told Reuters the Somali government was
seeking more details about what had happened.
"We want to know what happened, but it seems to have something to
do with legal papers," Ahmed said.
The Ugandan military has about 2,500 soldiers serving in Mogadishu
as part of the African Union's 5,000-strong peacekeeping mission
AMISOM, which is guarding sites including the Somali capital's air
and sea ports and presidential palace.
It was not immediately clear what Kampala might have against such a
senior member of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's government. Both
are allied against Somalia's Islamist rebels.
Human rights groups have long accused the Ugandan security forces
of using heavy-handed tactics when dealing with suspects.
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