Somalia to increase number of security forces ahead of AU forces' exit

Somali president speaking to SNA cadets in Uganda on Sunday, March 19, 2023 after completing training [Photo Villa Somalia]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has tentatively agreed with the member states leadership to increase the number of Somali security forces ahead of the anticipated exit of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] who have until December 2024 to hand over security responsibilities.

The increment would see Somali National Army [SNA] numbers shoot from the current 18,000 to at least 30,000 and that of the police go up to 40,000 from the current 32,000. The leaders reached the agreement during the recently concluded National Consultative Council [NCC] meeting in Baidoa city.

However, the 2017 National Security Architecture agreement did not include the number of Navy, Air Force and the elite troops trained by Turkey and the United States, an indication that the number security forces in Somalia could be higher than anticipated as the war against Al-Shabaab intensifies.

The agreement, which puts retirement age from security forces at 62, further indicates that National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] will continue having armed groups until the current situation "ends". Once the country stabilizes, regional intelligence groups will be disbanded, the agreement states.

The new agreement also allows the number of custodial corps to be 5,300 — comprised of 4,500 federal and 800 prison guards. The agreement was signed in absence of Puntland leader Said Abdullahi Deni, who boycotted the conference until "federal constitution is completed".

The ATMIS team has about 22,000 soldiers in Somalia and the number could increase after Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia pledged to add more. However, the team is under pressure to implement Somali Transition Plan [STP] that would see it hand over security responsibilities to SNA soldiers.

“The Somali government today is concentrating on transferring security responsibilities from ATMIS [African Union Transition Mission in Somalia] which have been in the country for not less than 15 years,” Kamal Dahir Hassan Gutale, national security adviser to Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre told VOA Somali.

“The target is that on December 2024 the last AU soldier will leave the country. This is important for Somalia meeting its security responsibilities.”

Apart from the US Africa Command and Turkey training elite forces in Somalia, a number of African countries have also started similar programmes with Eritrea leading the team. Over the weekend, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended commissioning parade for over 3,000 soldiers who have been training in Uganda.

GAROWE ONLINE