EU demands structural changes in AU military mission in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The European Union [EU], a major financial partner of Somalia, has demanded structural changes in the African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM], as a condition for continued funding of military operations in the country.

EU now says AMISOM ought to focus on rebuilding Somalia's broken instructions, noting that such an approach was necessary due to massive resources being pumped to the country. EU supports AMISOM operations in Somalia.

Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told The EastAfrican that the European bloc agrees that Somalia will be exposed were the Mission to quit without an adequate replacement.

But he suggested that the EU will not fund the Mission based on its old structure that focused on combat and troops on the ground with little attention to rebuilding institutions.

AMISOM was formed in 2007 to help curb Al-Shabaab activities in the country and the mission has played a key role in dislodging the militants from strategic towns in central and southern Somalia to the last decade.

Currently, there are ongoing talks to restructure the mission whose mandate expires in March, with the AU suggesting a joint mission with the United Nations. Already, reports indicate both sides have agreed to partner but at the same time implement Somali Transition Plan [STP].

In March, the UN Security Council is expected to decide the fate of the Mission, possibly by transforming it to have a wider mandate.

“These efforts, financial effort on one side and military effort on the other, have not given enough results and I think that Amisom has to be reviewed,” Fontelles said in an interview on Saturday.

“We don’t want to abandon Somalia. We don’t want to stop financing Amisom, but we need to review how it works in order to ensure that results are better.”

Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Djibouti contribute troops to the Amisom. They had all asked for the transformation into a multidimensional force, which Somalia refused. Somalia also rejected the idea of extending the AMISOM mandate beyond March.

Last week, the African Union proposed the creation of the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] which would have the same mandate as Amisom, but work as a preparatory organization to help with the transition so that Somalia can take up security duties in two years or so.

But the EU is worried that a continual military focus could fail to address the causes of long-term insecurity in Somalia, weak government institutions, and few economic opportunities.

“If [Operation] Atalanta ships leave, piracy will come back quickly because the root cause unhappily remains. If Amisom leaves Somalia, Somalia will hardly resist. So we need the effort of the Africans and we need the financial support of the European Union, but it has to be reviewed,” Mr. Fontelles said.

“We want an effective mission and we are discussing it and I hope that we will be able to reach an agreement in order to continue providing this financial support.”

Besides the EU, other top funders of the mission include the United States, the United Nations, and African Union. There are close to 22,000 AMISOM troops working in six sectors in Somalia, with Ethiopia being the highest contributor.

GAROWE ONLINE