MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ambassador Souef Mohamed El-Amine, the AU Special Representative and Head of ATMIS have held talks on Saturday at Villa Somalia.
The leaders discussed security matter and the cooperation between Somalia and African Union as drawdown procedures and the timeline for ATMIS. They also focused on the process to transfer security responsibilities from AU forces to the Somali National Army.
“Representative and ATMIS Head, Amb. Souef Mohamed El-Amine at Villa Somalia today. Discussions primarily focussed on security, including the planned ATMIS drawdown procedures & timeliness. The President reaffirmed the gov’t’s commitment to the Somali Transition Plan on the hand-over of security responsibilities from the African Union forces to SNA,”
Last Friday, Somali Ministry of Defence lauded the sacrifices made by ATMIS over the past years in pursuit of peace in Somalia and in the region, noting that their sacrifices made to secure Somalia will forever be remembered.
The government said Friday that it is ready to take over security responsibilities from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) as 2,000 troops will withdraw from the country by the end of June.
“The Somalia National Armed Forces and the Somalia Security Forces are prepared as Somalia moves towards the next chapter of security ownership across the country,” the ministry said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The government said through its collaboration with bilateral partners, it has trained security forces in the past years that will take over security responsibilities of 2,000 ATMIS forces. The handover will be completed by the end of June in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670.
The AU peace mission is expected to fully exit Somalia by Dec. 31, 2024.
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