Somalia: AU forces hand over security of State House and parliament to Govt troops

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops have handed over the presidential palace and parliament Forward Operating bases to the Somali National Army (SNA) as the peacemakers leave the country in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan.

After two months of technical pause, the ATMIS contingent has started withdrawing 3,000 more soldiers from the country, with the entire team expected to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army by December 2024.

While terming the move as a critical milestone, ATMIS said it will continue to withdraw from the country as scheduled in the plan. Somali forces will take over security responsibilities, the mission added in a brief statement.

"Today, ATMIS will officially hand over the State House and Parliament House Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Mogadishu to the Federal Government of Somalia. This significant step marks the resumption of Phase 2 of the ATMIS drawdown," read the statement.

"The handover of these state institutions, previously central to the ATMIS mandate, is a critical move in the transition process. It fulfills the UNSC Resolution 2710 mandate to reduce troop presence by 3,000 by December 31, contributing to the ongoing Somalia Security Transition."

National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh Ali announced that the Somalia National Armed Forces (SNA) and Somali Police Force will take charge today to protect the President, Prime Minister, and Parliament in line with the Somali Transition Plan

“SNAF and SPF will proudly take over the responsibility of Villa Somalia tomorrow marking a significant milestone for the STP. Farewell to ATMIS UPDF contingency who has been responsible for protecting the Presidency, OPM, and Parliament House for the last 16 years,” Ali said.

There are close to 14,000 soldiers from the mission in Somalia but initially, the number was around 22,000. Already, the first batch of 2,000 soldiers had left by June 2023 and the additional 3,000 will leave by December 31st this year in compliance with the transition plan which was drafted two years ago.

GAROWE ONLINE