AMISOM's mandate extended by AU as Somalia faces worst political crisis

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The African Union Mission Forces [AMISOM] troops will after all have to stay in Somalia until the end of this year, upon which the African Union Peace and Security Council [AUPSC] will seat and determine if the mandate will be added.

AMISOM is one of the critical components in pushing for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been battling with instability for a couple of years, and among others, it has been training the Somali National Army [SNA] and battling against Al-Shabaab militants.

On Tuesday, the AUPSC added AMISOM more months, effectively letting it play peace-keeping roles in Somalia until December 2021, which is set as a tentative exit period for thousands of troops and police serving in the Horn of Africa nation.

Currently, AMISOM has close to 22,000 troops in Somalia, most of them who serve in various sectors as determined by the force commander. There are six sectors in the country, manned by troops from various force contributing nations.

Later this year, upon full implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP], the AMISOM troops and other personnel are expected to leave Somalia. All security responsibilities will be handed to the Somali National Army, whose ability has often been questioned.

Some of the troops contributing nations include Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, and Djibouti. The current Force Commander is Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya, who hails from Burundi, and had taken over from Lt. General Yilma of Ethiopia.

The extension comes at the time Somalia is battling with internal political crisis, which threatens to plunge the country into a civil war. Already, African Union has appointed former Ghanaian President John Mahama as the special envoy to Somalia, but Mogadishu is said to against the appointment.

GAROWE ONLINE