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The African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia announced the completion of the second phase of its withdrawal, which includes 3,000 soldiers, after a delay of four months.
The Mogadishu government requested a three-month “technical suspension” of the soldiers’ withdrawal process, which was scheduled to be implemented by last September.
The peacekeeping force said in a statement, “The African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) completed the second phase of withdrawal, which included reducing the number of forces by 3,000 soldiers.”
Atmis handed over seven forward operating bases to the internationally-backed government and closed two others.
“We will soon begin preparations for the next phase, the third phase, to reduce our numbers by 4,000 soldiers in June,” Lieutenant-General Sam Okeding said.
The number of soldiers who were withdrawn in the first and second phases reached 5,000, and 14,600 soldiers from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are still deployed in Somalia.
Under a UN timetable, Atmis will completely withdraw from the Horn of Africa country by the end of the year and hand over responsibility to Somali security forces.
Source: Agence France-Presse
2024-02-03 18:16:02