Nairobi (Halbeeg News) – The government of Burundi has been asked to draw down its troops in Somalia ahead of AMISOM exit in 2020.
Through diplomatic document called a note verbale, African Union has requested the East African nation to reduce its over 5,000 forces in Somalia by the end of February next year.
According to an article published by AFP, the note verbale summarises the conclusions of a November 30 meeting of Amisom’s military operations coordination committee in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
“It has been decided that the Burundi National Defence Force should reduce (its contingent by) 1,000 troops by February 28,” the document reads in part.
A senior Burundi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity told the agency that the country viewed this decision with suspicion.
“We know that it’s a decision which was inspired by the EU in order to hurt Burundi, and unfortunately the AU had to accept it because it is a hostage of the Europeans, which are mainly financing (Amisom),” the official said.
Burundi is a main contributor of troops in the AMISOM with 5,432 soldiers.
The country which is the second country to deploy troops into Somalia dispatched its first soldiers to Somalia in December 2007.
Last year, the Burundian government threaten to withdraw its troops from Somalia following the failure to pay Burundian peacekeepers’ salaries for 12 months.
The salary arrears issue was only solved following the visit of Commissioner for Peace and Security for the African Union (AU) Smail Chergui in the same year.
AMISOM has more than 22,000 soldiers and police, from six African countries, deployed in Somalia to protect the government there and fight Al-Shabaab fighters.
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