MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News)-African Union announced that it is planning to vacate a military training institution in Mogadishu which AMISOM had been occupying for more than a decade.
In a statement on Thursday, African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM) said the troops will be moved from Jaalle Siyaad Military Academy at the end of February.
The mission stated that the institution has been undergoing renovation since last December to pave the way for the handover of the facility.
Francisco Madeira, head of AMISOM who inspected the base early this week said the institution will play a significant role in the rebuilding of Somali National Army (SNA).
“We are satisfied with the rehabilitation works, and we believe proper arrangements have been made for an effective handover to take place by the end of this month,” Ambassador Madeira, who was accompanied by senior AMISOM and federal government officials, said.
Ambassador Madeira noted that a number of assets put up by AMISOM for use by the Burundi contingent will also be donated to the federal government.
“The prefabricated buildings, the generators, the water points, and the water treatment plants, will all be handed over to the federal government to enable it to continue improving this facility and return it to its former glory,” Madeira said.
Somalia’s State Minister of Defence, Mohamed Ali Haga, has welcomed the announcement saying AMISOM had played a vital role in Somalia’s stabilisation process.
“I particularly want to thank the Burundi soldiers who have made the handover possible and sacrificed their lives to help restore stability in Somalia,” Mr. Haga noted.
Jaalle Siyaad Military Academy holds a special place in the country’s history, having served as a key Forward Operation Base for AU troops during the fierce war against al-Shabaab fighters that led to the liberation of Mogadishu, in 2011.
The Burundi troops who have been occupying the academy have since relocated to Jowhar, the administrative capital of Somalia’s youngest state, HirShabelle.
The academy will be the third facility to be handed over to the federal government, after Somali National University in July 2017 and Mogadishu National Stadium in August last year.
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