United Nations Security Council has extended its support for African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to two months.
The Council has backed the Mission, calling on UN Secretary-General to continue providing logistical support for AMISOM and its partners in the mission.
The UN body on Tuesday unanimously reauthorized until July 31 the African Union Mission in Somalia to give additional time for consideration of an upcoming report
In a resolution unanimously adopted by the members, the Security Council insisted its earlier call to downsize the number of AMISOM troops in Somalia.
The Security Council allowed for a review of recommendations expected in a “joint assessment” report on Somalia to be presented by June 15.
The Security Council was expecting the results of a joint AU/UN comprehensive assessment before it would make a decision on the longer renewal of the AU mission’s mandate.
But the assessment has been delayed and a report would not be available until June 15.
Michael Keating, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, said AMISOM “continues to play an indispensable role, at great human cost, in protecting population centres, main supply routes and Somalia’s overall political progress.”
Keating said that successful security transition will require deep reform of the Somalia security forces together transformation of AMISOM,” adding that this could entail “more flexible joint operations and combat mentoring, greater emphasis on policing, adequate enablers and force multipliers or stronger accountability systems, whether for assets or relating to human rights.”
There are plans for a full withdrawal of foreign troops by December 2020, but heads of state and ministers from the main troop contributors -including Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda – in March warned the timeframe for the drawdown was “not realistic and would lead to a reversal of the gains made by AMISOM.
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