AU mission completes the first phase of troops drawdown in Somalia

Soldiers belonging to the Burundian contingent of the African Union Mission prepare to march on the Al-Shabab held town of Ragaele, Somalia on 30 September 2014 [AMISOM]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] has concluded its scheduled drawdown of soldiers in the federal republic of Somalia, a milestone achieved even as the country struggles with terrorism threats given increased Al-Shabaab activities across the Horn of Africa nation.

The drawdown of 2,000 concluded through handing over of various Forward Operating Bases [FOBs] to the Somali National Army [SNA], who will be in charge of security responsibilities in the country for the next phase, after years of peacekeeping mission and stabilization by the African Union.

In a tweet, ATMIS confirmed on Sunday night that two final FOBs have been given to SNA, in line with the recent resolution by the United Nations Security Council [UNSC]. The two FOBs include Gherille in Jubaland under the Kenyan Defence Forces [KDF] and Al-Jazeera in Mogadishu.

"ATMIS has completed the first phase of troop drawdown by transferring the final two Forward Operating Bases [FOBs], Aljazeera 1 in Mogadishu and Gherille in Jubaland State, in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 [2022] and 2670 [2023]," the union said..

Last week, the UNSC reiterated the progress made in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants, noting the disruption of the group's financial operations as one of most decisive achievement. The council also noted remarkable progress in reclaiming large territories previously under Al-Shabaab.

"We welcome the progress made by Somalia in the fight against Al-Shabaab, including towards disruption of its financial operations, congratulating Somalia for the recovery of territory from Al-Shabaab, and underlining the importance of preserving the security gains in Somalia and enhancing the support provided to the Somali security forces and ATMIS," the council said.

"We look forward to the completion of the transition of responsibilities from ATMIS to the Government of Somalia that will allow for the planned exit of ATMIS from Somalia by December 2024, as this will represent a significant milestone in Somalia’s recovery from civil war and insurgency."

An additional 3,000 soldiers will be pulled out from Somalia by September 2023 with a complete pullout expected to be on December 2024. Under Resolution 2687 [2023], the UN Security Council asked AU to deploy 17,626 soldiers to Somalia and 14,626 by the end of September 2023..

Consequently, this means at least 5,000 of the 19,000 strong force in Somalia would have been withdrawn from the country as the mission comes to an end. The ATMIS troops will participate in the final phase of operations against Al-Shabaab in coming days at Jubaland and Southwest states according to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Some of the FOBs ATMIS has completed handover include Xaaji Cali, Miirtugo, Cadale, Albao, Gherille, Aljazeera 1 and Marka Ayub. The African Union soldiers are also training the Somali National Army by equipping and preparing them for serious security responsibilities ahead of takeover.

GAROWE ONLINE