Kenyan President William Ruto and his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Guelleh have emphasized the importance of aligning the drawdown of regional forces in Somalia with the country’s security capabilities.
The two leaders spoke at a press conference in Djibouti, suggesting that they would not support any proposal to terminate the mandate of troops in Somalia without assurances of Somalia’s capability to effectively tackle Al Shabaab.
In line with UN Resolution 2670, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is expected to draw down 2,000 troops by June 30th in a phased handover of security responsibilities to Somali security forces as part of the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan.
Ruto and Guelleh insisted on safeguarding successes made by ATMIS’ predecessor, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). “As troop contributing countries to AMISOM, we agreed that the upcoming IGAD Summit should address the Somalia transition plan while safeguarding gains made by AMISOM/ATMIS,” said Ruto.
The AU Peace Mission has until December 31st 2024 to exit Somalia.
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and ATMIS have both reaffirmed their commitment to facilitate a smooth transfer of security responsibilities to Somali security forces.
Speaking at a joint press briefing held at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu on June 8th, AU Special Representative to Somalia Mohamed El-Amine Souef and Daud Aweis, Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism for Somalia said operations against Al-Shabaab were ongoing in various parts of the country.
Ambassador Souef expressed confidence that FGS had generated sufficient forces to take over security responsibilities once ATMIS troops leave. “I have full confidence in the capabilities of Somali Security Forces,” he said. “The SNA has over the last one year shown growing ability to conduct military operations against terrorist groups.
I wish to sincerely commend the leadership of His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in ensuring force generation as well as bringing onboard various segments of the Somali public in the fight against Al-Shabaab.” Minister Aweis commended Somali security forces for their determination in ensuring peace and stability across the country and urged security agencies to continue working together to eliminate the threat posed by Al-Shabaab.
The two leaders welcomed the arrival of new UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia Catriona Laing and pledged to work with the UN to stabilize the country.
