MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – African Union (AU) said the security of Somalia has been improved following decades old efforts to restore peace in the horn of Africa nation.
The Head of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Mohamed El-Amine Souef this week held talks with ATMIS and United Nations personnel to discuss ways of bolstering support to Somalia’s state-building process in Kismayo town.
Souef noted that the successful re-establishment of State authority by the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was a result of the collaborative efforts of the Somali leadership, ATMIS, the United Nations and other key international partners.
“Somalia has made great progress, and that progress is due to the collaborative work with ATMIS and the UN in terms of improving security and fight against Al-Shabaab militants. People in Somalia can live safely,” said Souef.
He urged UN and ATMIS personnel to continue to provide specialized training and knowledge transfer to Somalia’s public servants to help increase the number of skilled personnel in various sectors.
“I would like to remind you that we are here for a good cause to support the people of Somalia. Whatever we do, we should put their interests first,” said Ambassador Souef.
The AU Special Representative requested the personnel to support the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions 2628 and 2670 (2022) and 2687 (2023) which mandates ATMIS to assist SSF in gradually taking over security responsibilities ahead of the Mission’s exit from Somalia in December 2024.
The remarks come at a time when ATMIS and its partners are preparing to conduct a joint technical assessment on phase one of ATMIS troop withdrawal which was concluded in June 2023.
The findings will inform the second phase which requires ATMIS to withdraw another 3,000 troops by end of September 2023.
During phase one, ATMIS withdrew 2000 troops from Somalia and handed over six Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Somali Security Forces (SSF).
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