Ethiopia forces Somalia to postpone ATMIS transition

NAIROBI, Kenya - Ethiopia has been accused of engineering Somalia’s postponement of the transition process, which directly affects the reorganization of the Somali Transition Plan (STP), which was due to be fully implemented by December 2024 according to the work plan.

Dahir Abukar Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said the crossing of Ethiopian troops to the country has dragged the transition process, noting that the new movements of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) are illegal.

By the end of June, ATMIS is supposed to withdraw close to 4,000 troops from the country as part of STP implementation. It was anticipated that by December 2024, all ATMIS soldiers would have left before a new local-led mission is installed.

“Due to disruptions by Ethiopian forces, including unilateral actions and illegal border crossings, Somalia has been forced to postpone the September transition," he told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Osman warned the Council about the implications of these destabilizing actions for Somalia and the wider region, urging Ethiopia to respect the Charter of the United Nations and principles of good neighborliness by reconsidering its “memorandum of misadventure” without any further delay.

Last week, local media in Somalia reported sighting Ethiopian soldiers around the Hiiraan region where Al-Shabaab has been a major threat but they would leave a few days later. Ethiopia is a major security stakeholder in the Federal Republic of Somalia.

The relationship between the two countries has nosedived in recent weeks after Ethiopia signed an agreement with Somaliland over access to the sea and the construction of the military base. However, the deal has been dismissed by Somalia, which accuses Ethiopia of annexation.

On 31 May, Hussein Sheikh Ali, the National Security Adviser to the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said Somalia expects all Ethiopian troops to leave the country by the end of December 2024, adding that Ethiopian troops will not be part of the post-ATMIS forces.

At least 3,000 Ethiopian soldiers are stationed in Somalia as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which combats al-Shabaab, an Islamist militia that controls large portions of the country. A large number of non-ATMIS Ethiopian troops have been reportedly deployed to several parts of the country for years.

The third phase of ATMIS withdrawal was scheduled for this month, but Somalia maintains even past the African Union troops' withdrawal, Ethiopia is still not welcome on matters of peace in Somalia. The UN has been calling for order and peace between the two nations.

GAROWE ONLINE