Former force commander of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Osman Noor Soubagleh was on Wednesday honoured in a send off by Somali government.
In a luncheon held in Mogadishu attended by top government officials, Defense minister Mohamed Mursal praised Soubagleh for his contribution in the in the ongoing process to stabilize Somalia.
“We know you have sacrificed and your target is to see stable and secure Somalia and for that we always recognize your efforts,” said the minister.
The Minister also noted that Somalia had been in conflict for more than two decades, adding that the international community had always supported the people of Somalia.
“We appreciate the support of international community who always stood by the Somali people,” he commended
Somali National Army Chief of Defense Forces, Abdiweli Jamaa Hussein who also at the event noted that in the short time they worked together, he had seen a professional, committed and trusted soldier whose aim was to see a peaceful and stable Somalia.
“I saw him not only as the African Union Force Commander but also as a Somali brother who I could trust because of the things he was doing for the SNA. If it were within our means, we would ask him to stay,” he noted.
Soubagleh, who has been force commander since 2016 handed the office to Jim Owoyesigire last month.
He has been instrumental in improving cooperation between AMISOM and SNA in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
AMISOM whose troops was contributed by several countries in the continent including Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Burundi and Uganda has been helping Somalia to fight Al-shabaab for a decade.
Discussion about this post