Djibouti to boost Somalia peacekeepers

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, June 6, 2015(Garowe Online)-Djiboutian government has signed a new deal to boost the number of peacekeepers in Somalia with additional 900 troops, Garowe Online reports.

The Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union, Smail Chergui and Djiboutian Ambassador to Ethiopia Dileita M. Dileaita struck the agreement to increase the current peacekeeping force from 960 to 1860 as the neighboring East African country is trying to stave off Al Shabaab’s guerrilla warfare.

Having joined African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Djiboutian forces maintain presence in the central Somalia region of Hiran.

In early January, Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Ali Yusuf declared the deployment of close to 1000 peacekeepers to be drawn from military and police.

However, under the new Memorandum of Understanding, the neighboring country will only contribute military personnel to the African Union Mission. 

GAROWE ONLINE