MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Atmis commanders from Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Burundi have agreed to enhance the fight against al-Shabaab and help Somali government strengthen the security of the country.
According to a statement by Atmis, the top military commanders held a four-day meeting in Mogadishu to evaluate the first phase of ATMIS troop withdrawal from Somalia, which was successfully implemented in June.
“We discussed a wide range of issues, including the general security situation and the threats posed by Al-Shabaab and came up with resolutions to be implemented by the respective sector commanders,” said ATMIS Force Commander Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding who chaired the meeting.
ATMIS withdrew 2000 soldiers from Somalia at the end of June and handed over six Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Somali Security Forces (SSF) in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628, 2670 and 2687.
“We also discussed the transition in detail, mainly phase one drawdown and its impact as well as our capacity and capabilities for subsequent operations,” added Lt. Gen Okiding.
The meeting conducted under the theme, “Enhancing Synergy Towards Implementation of ATMIS CONOPS,” also discussed the upcoming phase two withdrawal of 3000 ATMIS troops, which is expected to be completed by end of September.
Under phase two, the commanders deliberated on the FOBs to be handed over to the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and their security implications.
ATMIS Deputy Force Commander in charge of Support and Logistics Maj. Gen. Peter Kimani Muteti, who spoke at the opening of the meeting on Wednesday, described the conference as timely and key to fulfilling the Mission’s mandate ahead of its exit from Somalia in December 2024.
“The key components of our mandate include degrading Al-Shabaab, protecting civilians, ensuring that we give access to and escorts to humanitarian assistance, mentoring Somali Security Forces and also supporting the stabilization process,” said Maj. Gen. Muteti.
He encouraged the sector commanders to continue fulfilling the ATMIS mandate of securing Somalia both in individual and joint military operations.
ATMIS and SSF are currently planning the second phase of the joint military operations against Al-Shabaab following the completion of the first phase, which liberated chunks of territory in central and southern Somalia that were under the control of terrorist group.
ATMIS’s Deputy Force Commander in charge of Operations and Plans, Maj. Gen. Marius Ngendabanka, underscored the importance of conducting an assessment of the security implications of the first phase of ATMIS troop withdrawal.
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