Mogadishu, June 8, 2023 – The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have reaffirmed their commitment to facilitate a smooth transfer of security responsibilities to the Somalia security forces in line with the Somali Transition Plan.
Speaking at a joint press briefing held at the Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, the SRCC and Head of ATMIS Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef, and the Somalia Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism, Daud Aweis, said operations against Al-Shabaab to liberate remaining territories under their control were ongoing in various parts of the country.
“I wish to reaffirm our commitment to implementing the transfer of security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces in line with the Somali Transition Plan and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. In this regard, ATMIS has finalized plans to commence the drawdown of 2000 troops which must be done by the end of this month,” SRCC Souef said.
Amb. Souef expressed confidence that the FGS has generated sufficient forces to take over security responsibilities once ATMIS troops leave.
“I have full confidence in the capabilities of the Somali Security Forces. The SNA has over the last year shown the growing ability to conduct military operations against the terrorist group. I wish to sincerely commend the leadership of His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in ensuring force generation as well as bringing on board various segments of the Somali public in the fight against Al-Shabaab,” he noted.
Minister Aweis commended the Somali security forces for their determination in ensuring peace and stability across the country and urged security agencies to continue to work together to eliminate the threat posed by Al-Shabaab.
“As you all know, there are ongoing operations to eliminate Al-Shabaab in many parts of the country. In addition, the second part of operations led by the Federal Government of Somalia is expected to start soon,” he declared.
The Minister outlined various initiatives taken by government officials and agencies to ensure the Somali public enjoys relative peace and stability.
“The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E. Hamza Abdi Barre, has urged for the acceleration of liberating the remaining areas in the hands of Kharijites Al-Shabaab,” Minister Aweis added.
The two leaders welcomed the arrival of the new UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia (SRSG) Catriona Laing and pledged to work with the UN to stabilise the country.
In line with UN Resolution 2670, ATMIS is expected to draw down 2000 troops by the end of this month in a phased handover of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces in the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan. The AU peace Mission is expected to fully exit Somalia by 31 December 2024.
The drawdown started in February 2020 with 1,000 soldiers, the other 3,000 soldiers will leave in September and the last soldiers to withdraw will leave in December 2024.
According to a source in the know, the EU no longer has the money to support the mission which informs the mission’s winding up in phased timelines.
This begs the question, can’t African countries support their own mission? While eventual transitioning to Somali security is a correct move, does Somalia’s defence have the requisite technical capabilities to resist Alshabaab terror yet?
Uganda has made a commendable contribution to building Somalia’s Defence capabilities and several of the Somali forces have been trained in Uganda.
Related Story: https://softpower.ug/somali-army-special-forces-passed-out-from-camp-rufu/
According to the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia loses an estimated $300 million due to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which damages local marine resources, affects the livelihoods of local fishermen and diverts funds away from Somalia’s economic development.
The Ugandan leader, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, whose countries Forces were the first to move into Somalia to fight Alshabaab when the Americans left, has severally called on the West to join Africa in stabilizing the land (of Somalia) instead of spending millions of dollars the Somali coastline and the Indian ocean.
“Somalis are not aquatic beings. Let’s stabilize the land on which they live. Once the security situation stabilizes on the land, the security on the waters will stabilize,” Museveni said.
