Somalia: AU soldiers killed in Al-Shabaab attack on Halane base camp in Mogadishu

The view from a hotel in the Halane Base Camp, Mogadishu. Photograph: Sally Hayden

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A mortar fired by Al-Shabaab militants killed two African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops on Sunday, police said, adding that the attack was initiated near the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, a heavily fortified base.

Mohamed El-Amine Souef, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in Somalia, condemned the attack in Halane Base Camp, where most dignitaries are hosted in the Horn of Africa nation.

Investigations done by the officers established that a 107mm rocket was used for the attack. At least four mortar rounds were reportedly fired during the attack.

“The heinous attack will not deter us and the Somali security forces from pursuing lasting peace in Somalia,” Souef said in the statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. “We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to combat terrorism and build a peaceful and prosperous Somalia.”

However, the statement did not specify the nationalities of the soldiers who were killed. ATMIS constitutes soldiers from Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Burundi with the team manning specific regions in the country..

“ATMIS extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families, friends, and relatives of those who lost their lives and wishes a quick recovery to those injured during the attack,” Souef said.

As the AU senior leadership visited the site, it was established that those who died were members of the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF). The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group, which mostly relies on propaganda, claimed it killed both white and black officers. The group usually exaggerates numbers to scare those in operations.

Despite being driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, the group, from time to time, manages to carry out mortar attacks that hit Mogadishu’s airport, which is a base for the AU as well as some foreign embassies.

ATMIS soldiers are expected to leave by January 2025 but the international community is mooting a new mission dubbed the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which is supposed to take over from January 2025.

GAROWE ONLINE