AU forces identify bases for withdrawal from Somalia

African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers travel on armoured vehicle as they leave the Jaale Siad Military academy after being replaced by the Somali military in Mogadishu, Somalia. February 28, 2019. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The AU Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] has identified seven Forward Operating Bases [FOBs] for immediate withdrawal from Somalia, a special envoy said, just a few days after a section of Burundian forces started leaving the country.

Ambassador Souef Mohamed El-Amine, the African Union Commission envoy to Somalia and ATMIS chief said the FOBs have been identified for handover as part of the broader plan to withdraw the first batch of 2,000 soldiers from the Horn of Africa nation which has been in shambles for years.

According to the program seen by Garowe Online, some of the first FOBs to be handed over have been manned by the Burundian Defence Forces with Haji Ali being the first one on June 20th.On Thursday [June 22nd] it was anticipated that Miirtaqwo would be handed over with Adale set for June 27th.

These first three bases belong to Sector V. From Sector I which is manned by the Uganda People's Defense Forces [UPDF], Aljazeera, Arbao, and Marka Ayoub are set to be handed over to the Somali National Army [SNA]. The Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] will hand over Geriley in Sector II.

A total of 2000 soldiers will be leaving as part of this drawdown, with another 3,000 set to leave the country in the coming months in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan [STP] which projects that by December 2024, most of the bases would have been handed over to local troops.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told the UN, that the impact of this drawdown will be reassessed before the next phase of the drawdown starts in September even as he pleaded with the global body to reconsider the arms embargo which could affect the fight against Al-Shabaab should the world fail to lift the sanctions.

Somalia is actively engaged in the fight against Al-Shabaab, a group that swore allegiance to Al-Qaida and which has been causing chaos and mayhem in the country. The United States and ATMIS are some of the dependable partners in the war against the group and withdrawal could lead to serious ramifications.

GAROWE ONLINE