MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The African Union peacekeeping mission’s leadership said on Tuesday that the mission will withdraw 3,000 additional troops from Somalia, to pave the way for Somalia’s government to take over the security of the Horn of African nation.
Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, Atmis force commander, told journalists in the Somali capital Mogadishu that AU planned to draw down 3000 uniformed personnel by 30 September 2023 to reduce military personnel from 17,626 to 14,626 by 30 September this year.
“Preparations for the second phase of the withdrawal of 3,000 ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) troops by the end of September are underway,” Okiding said.
ATMIS will continue to work closely with the Somali government, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), and other partners to facilitate a smooth transition of security duties to Somali Security Forces, according to Okiding.
“ATMIS would put in place measures to avoid a security vacuum when it exits Somalia by the end of December 2024”, he said.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), is a multidimensional mission (military, police and civilian), authorised by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council – AU Peace and Security Council Communique for 1068th Meeting and UN Security Council Resolution 2628 (2022).
It replaced the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with a clear mandate to fully implement the Somali Transition Plan (STP). ATMIS became operational on 1 April 2022.
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