Hassan Sheikh: AU forces have done a good job in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] are the major reason behind the stability and gradual but steady growth of Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says, noting their "invaluable" assistance to the Somali National Army [SNA] in the ongoing war against Al-Shabaab.

ATMIS troops formerly known as AMISOM have been in Somalia since 2007 and have significantly helped the country to stabilize despite challenges in completely weeding out the group. For the last few months, ATMIS has been giving Somali forces a backup on several military fronts.

Recently, the forces with assistance from the US Africa Command and local militia managed to help the Somali National Army capture Haradhere and Gal'ad towns which were strong Al-Shabaab bases, further sending a warning to the militants who are losing strategic towns in the country.

However, although they have been tremendously degraded, the Al-Shabaab continues to pose a threat to local forces and innocent civilians with their frequent sporadic retaliatory attacks across the country. The militants even targeted the office of Mogadishu mayor recently in what could have been a devastating attack.

“The AU has done a good job… and they have been the reason why the Somali state started to grow and [why] it has now reached a level that it provided space for society to grow,” Mohamud said.

“But now it is the Somali army, police, and intelligence agencies [that] are running the operations with the support of AU and other international partners.

“Challenges will remain in place,” said the president, referring to when AU forces leave next year. “But we are organizing… on one hand we’re fighting and, on the other, we are building the security sector.

Last year, a few months after being re-elected for a second time, Mohamud declared an “all-out war” against al-Shabab, which has been waging a rebellion against the government since 2007.

“So many people have tried to stop this via peaceful means. Now the Somali government decided to solve this through an all-out war,” he said.

“There’s no other option other than to take this terrorist group to a level where it cannot threaten the stability of the country,” Mohamud said, adding that the ultimate aim was to create the right environment for political inclusion, and attract foreign investment as well as Somalis to return to the country.

There are close to 22,000 members of the ATMIS mostly soldiers who man various Frontline in the Horn of Africa nation. It is projected that by next year, ATMIS troops would have handed over security responsibilities to the local forces in line with the Somali Transition Plan [STP].

GAROWE ONLINE