This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
On Sunday, Lt Gen Diomede Ndegeya from Burundi arrived in Mogadishu to take over as the overall head of forces from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, marking a significant change in leadership for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Gen Ndegeya succeeds Lt Gen Tigabu Yilma of Ethiopia, who completed his tour of duty after serving as Force Commander since January 2019.
Gen Ndegeya was warmly received at the Aden Abdulle International Airport by senior AMISOM military officers, including AMISOM Deputy Force Commander Operations and Plans Maj Gen Nakibus Lakara and Maj Gen George Owinow, the AMISOM Deputy Force Commander in charge Support and Logistics.
Gen Ndegeya expressed his commitment to helping Somalia and Africa in his brief remarks upon arrival, stating, "I have come to help Africa, to help Somalia, to help our brothers. I have previously been here a number of times, from 2007 to 2012," as reported by Reactor Review on August 4, 2020.
With a career spanning 38 years, Gen Ndegeya has extensive experience in Somalia, having previously served in the country from 2007 to 2009 as a member of the Burundi National Defence Forces AMISOM’s pre-deployment team. He also participated in a reconnaissance mission to the Bay and Bakool regions of Somalia in 2012.
Before his appointment as AMISOM Force Commander, Gen Ndegeya held various roles, including Senior Advisor to the Minister of Defence in Burundi and Defence Attaché at the Burundian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.
Gen Ndegeya holds a Master’s degree in Technical Sciences and has obtained knowledge in military command and defense strategy from institutions in Russia, China, and France. He has also published research papers on peacekeeping missions in Africa and the professionalization of the Burundi National Defence Forces.
