Kenya mulls pulling troops from Somalia amid brewing tension in Gedo

NAIROBI, Kenya - Authorities in Kenya are set to commence talks on Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] withdrawal from Somalia, with just two years before the set timelines by African Union.

The African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] has slated 2021 as the deadline for an exit, after which homegrown security forces are set to formally takeover.

Already, AMISOM has commenced scaling down of troops from the Horn of Africa nation, with an estimated 1,000 soldiers expected to leave by the end of this month, officials said.

In Nairobi, the Nation reports, Defense Minister Monica Juma, is set to steer talks with other stakeholders in the coming weeks for the withdrawal, which should be completed in the next 20 months.

The Department of Defense will engage AMISOM for the planned strategic withdrawal, Garowe Online has learned, where exact numbers and dates for soldiers exit will be agreed upon.

Currently, there are over 3,000 KDF troops in Somalia, who mainly man Sectors II and VI within Jubaland, which shares a 684 KM-long border with Kenya.

KDF first invaded Somalia in 2011 and would be absorbed by AMISOM a year later, after recording exquisite progress against Al-Shabaab militants.

Among the notable successes by the troops include the liberation of Dhobley, Kulbiyow, and Kismayo, which was a commercial city for Al-Shabaab until 2013.

But the forces have suffered a series of setbacks in the process, notable among them, the sophisticated raid in El Adde and Kulbiyow army bases, which left over 250 soldiers dead in 2016 and 2017 respectively, records indicate.

Although the motive of the public incursion was to degrade the militants, the objective seems to have precipitated to an upsurge of Al-Shabaab attacks on Kenyan soil, with northeastern and the capital, Nairobi being targets.

For instance, northeastern and coastal regions have recorded 16 attacks in 2020, which left 20 people dead, data from the Kenyan government reveals. On Jan. 5, Al-Shabaab raided Camp Simba, which is manned by US Marine Corps, further confirming how Kenya is badly exposed.

The talks come amid an outcry from FGS, which accuses Kenya of interfering with its domestic affairs, pointing at the current impasse in Gedo, where KDF is blamed for protecting Jubaland administration under Ahmed Madobe.

The fighting in Gedo is fuelled by the recent deployment of Turkish-trained Somali troops in the region by the UN-backed Federal Government based in Mogadishu, which is accused of "meddling in" affairs of the country's states.

According to UN report, tens of thousands of civilians have fled their houses in the region, some crosses into Kenya to escape from the renewed conflict raging between SNA and Jubaland forces.

Since 2011, KDF has been rotating its troops annually, and the team which reported this January, AMISOM IX, under Brigadier Paul Njema, who took over from Brig. Dickson Rutto last month.

The Somali Transition Plan follows the development of a Concept of Operations (CONOPs) 2018-2021 that provides for an effective outline for the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan, Lt. Gen. Robert Kibochi told Africa Defense Magazine.

Locally, the strategic withdrawal comes at the time KDF is expected to undergo leadership changes, which could come as early as next month, based on National Defense Council recommendations.

Gen. Samsom Mwathethe, the Chief of Defense Forces, would have his extended one-year term ending in May, thus the much-anticipated changes in the impending promotions.

President Uhuru Kenyatta extended his term by a year in line with Defense Forces act, but the Navy man would now handover to an army officer, who would be picked by NDC.

AMISOM is expected to completely withdraw from Somalia in 2021, although the Horn of Africa nation has been facing frequent Al-Shabaab raids, with the most recent coming last month when over 25 SNA troops were killed at El-Salini military base.

GAROWE ONLINE