UK rules out exit of AU mission troops from Somalia in "short-term"

Uganda says international partners are acting without coordination, and that this is causing problem [Photo: AFP]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The United Kingdom is optimistic that the African Union Mission Forces [AMISOM] would stay a little longer in Somalia, despite plans to have them withdrawn upon full implementation of the Somali Transition Plan [STP].

AMISOM's mandate is set to expire in December 2021 and already, there are ongoing plans to discuss the future of the Horn of Africa nation, which is battling with the Al-Shabaab menace. The militants still control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia.

But the events in Afghanistan have raised concerns in Somalia, with a number of stakeholders admitting the fact that the exit of foreign missions troops could give Al-Shabaab an upper hand. In Afghanistan, the Taliban rebels took over the government after the exit of American troops.

In an interview, British ambassador to Somalia Kate Foster admitted that a number of stakeholders have raised concerns about the future of Somalia. According to her, Mogadishu has a lot of lessons to learn from Kabul.

"So I think the situation in Afghanistan is very much on lots of people’s minds. And certainly, as I’ve talked to senior Somalis this week, it’s been something that we have discussed a lot. And while I think there are some lessons that we should be learning and looking at, there are some similarities and differences," she said.

However, the British envoy said she doesn't envisage a situation where AMISOM troops will leave without putting proper structures on transition. It is anticipated that by the end of 2021, Somali National Army [SNA] would take over security responsibilities, but all indications are, they are not prepared.

Ms. Foster said the AMISOM troops would not leave in the short term, a confirmation that they would stay a little bit longer. She lauded the recent discussions between the African Union and the Federal Government of Somalia.

"I think firstly, to reassure people, that I don’t think there is any plan for Amisom to leave in the short term, but what is set out in the UN security mandate is a progressive transition of security leadership from Amisom to the Somali government, really welcomed discussions that happened this week between the African Union and the federal government of Somalia that set out the pathway for how the next mandate will we’ll see that transition working," she noted.

The envoy, who came to Somalia in 2021, has been championing the mentorship of Somali troops as the country prepares for transition. The UK has been training Special Forces in Somalia so as did the Turkish and Americans, besides the tough job done by AMISOM.

In January, the US withdrew 700 soldiers from Somalia, subsequently repositioning them in Kenya and Djibouti but President Joe Biden is keen to have them back. Ms. Foster said the handing over to SNA will be done in a gradual but progressive manner.

"So in essence, that’s one that sees Amisom taking on a greater role for mentoring and training of the Somali security forces," she noted. "And then progressively in time, the Somali security forces and government taking on that ownership, it isn’t something where there is going to be a binary on this date, Amisom will be leaving that’s, that’s not quite how the process will play out."

There are close to 22,000 AMISOM troops in Somalia, with most force contributing nations doing rotations annually. Some of the force contributing nations include Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Burundi.

GAROWE ONLINE