Uganda is ready to deploy more troops to Somalia if requested by the African Union, State Defense Minister Ruth Nankabirwa said Saturday.

Ms Nankabirwa told Daily Monitor that Uganda has a large contingent of soldiers trained in peacekeeping and "should we be asked for more troops we will give them a short induction course and send them for the mission."

Nankabirwa was speaking to daily Monitor shortly after a Press conference at the Kampala media centre yesterday where she also launched Uganda's appeal for other African countries to send troops for AU peace keeping mission in the war torn African country.

"We will continue to exert pressure on the African Union member states that promised troops and have so far failed to fulfill there pledge," Ms Nankabira who was flanked by Military Intelligence Chief Col Leo Kyanda said.

"UPDF is not alone in Somalia. The AU and UN have agreed that Ethiopian Forces will not leave until the promised AMISOM troops from other countries namely Burundi, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria arrive," she explained.

Burundi a country still emerging out of a decade long civil war is dogged by language and skills problems. Burundi had promised between 1,500 - 1,600 soldiers; Nigeria 850; Ghana 350; and Malawi an unknown number. Nankabirwa announced that the AU on Friday gave Uganda $1.8million (Sh120 million) to pay allowances for Uganda soldiers in Somalia.

They had gone without allowance for three months since their deployment.

In Kampala, a renowned international Political Science scholar, Prof Ali Mazrui said on Saturday that intervention Somalia by Ethiopia was "a big mistake" which should be reversed. He said:

"Ethiopia's intervention in Somalia was a big mistake and it is not the way to go. There must be a short team solution to end the war and suffering to unite the people of Somalia."

Prof Mazrui was speaking at the 82nd Rotary International District conference at Munyonyo.

Meanwhile, four Uganda army Privates killed in a road side bomb in Somali capital Mogadishu were yesterday buried in there ancestral home areas.

The army identified the four fallen privates as Wonder Frederick from Kamuli, Tugume Osbert from Bushenyi, Ongu Julius Peter Pader and Ojok Kilama Ogole from Gulu. They were all buried yesterday. Contrary to the UPDF spokesman in Somalia Captain Paddy Ankuda, the chief of Military intelligence Col. Kyanda ruled out Al Qaeda's role in the May 16 attack.