MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – Somali government has opposed a proposal by AU report to reduce the number of African Union (AU) troops in the country, terming the recommendations as “devoid of realities”.
In 2007, African Union had deployed troops contributed by its members including Burundi and Uganda to support Somali government in peace restoration.
The mission later evolved into forces to back the government forces against Al-Shabaab fighters in different parts of the country.
Currently, the mission has more than 14,900 soldiers from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
Late May, a report by an AU assessment team has proposed four options to overcome Amisom’s financial challenges.
Its first and preferred recommendation would be a hybrid mission of the African Union and United Nations, with a mix of police (50%), military personnel (35%) and civilians (15%). The AU report did not specify troop strength but recommended a gradual reduction.
The team’s second option was recommended that AMISOM reconfigure and modify its mission
The AU team’s remaining two options were deploying an East African standby force or having AMISOM exit the country.
The report’s authors said the latter could be accomplished in six months, but they warned against a hasty exit.
Speaking to VOA Somali, Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdirizak stated that the report and its options are not good options at this point, noting that his government informed the AU of its position last week.
“The experts who conducted the assessment didn’t sufficiently consult with the federal government of Somalia,” Abdirizak said.
Abdirizak said his government had devised a Somali transition plan (STP) “that eventually transfers security responsibilities to Somalis.
“It’s a plan where the leadership of security will be taking their views and orders from the Somali side. This is the best way to transition AMISOM security responsibilities to Somali security responsibilities,” the minister said.
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