Morocco backs technical pause of withdrawal of AU troops from Somalia

The Kingdom of Morocco has backed the request for a technical pause of withdrawal of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops by the federal government of Somalia, which is mobilizing resources for the last and perhaps final assault on Al-Shabaab militants.

The second phase of withdrawal of ATMIS troops was scheduled for last month but the move has slowed down after the government of Somalia requested the United Nations Security Council to halt the move, citing logistical challenges including but not limited to delay to lift arms embargo imposed on Somalia.

In a meeting held recently by the AU Peace and Security Council, Morocco supported Somalia's request, noting that a number of issues including the assessment of the technical report on withdrawal ought to be scrutinized before the ATMIS troops withdraw from the country.

Security transition, the Kingdom of Morocco said, is "challenging and should be handled with care". The delegation insisted that Somalia deserves absolute support as it battles Al-Shabaab militants, who have been targeting security forces and innocent civilians in their attacks.

"Morocco takes this opportunity to express its support for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, aimed at assisting the Somali Federal Government in implementing the Somali transition plan and gradually transferring security responsibilities from ATMIS to the Somali national security forces," delegates said.

"This is in line with the goal of enabling Somalia to assume full responsibility for Its own security, including accelerating operational efforts in combating insecurity and instability factors," added the Moroccan delegation.

The Kingdom also called on the international community to support Somalia, allowing Somalia to regain its rightful place at the regional, continental, and international levels by providing international and bilateral funding to Somalia for training, equipping, and capacity-building of the Somali security forces.

"These measures will enable a gradual and effective transfer of responsibilities from ATMIS to Somali security forces and institutions, thus preventing a security vacuum from developing in Somalia, with all the potential repercussions it would have on the country, the sub-region, and the continent, " the delegation said.

In June 2000 ATMIS soldiers withdrew from Somalia, and last month, 3,000 more had been lined up for withdrawal until Somalia made the request, delaying the move. The ATMIS team currently has close to 17,000 soldiers drawn from Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Burundi.

Under the Somali Transition Mission, the ATMIS team is scheduled to leave the country by December 2024, handing over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army. Somalia has been training more soldiers to take over responsibilities from the foreign troops.

GAROWE ONLINE