Thursday October 12, 2023

African Union Transmission Mission (ATMIS) has planned a gradual withdrawal of troops from Somalia, raising concerns over the cross-border activities of the al Shabaab.

Speaking on Citizen TV daybreak show on Wednesday, security analyst George Musamali said that the KDF’s main mission initiated 12 years ago has not yet been achieved.

“If you look at the situation in Somalia, there is a disjointed community that has not achieved much in terms of security and we are leaving Somalia in a bad situation just like the Americans left Afghanistan and Vietnam,” Musamali said.

He said that staying behind would make Somalia more dependent and urged the Somali government to advocate their own internal security issues.

”We need to give Somalia a chance to sort out their own issues. Time has come for us now to get out and see how they will deal with their internal issues,” he added.

“I emphasize the need to lift the arms embargo on Somali for self-defense against al Shabaab.”

Edgar Githua, an International Affairs analyst emphasized the nature of Kenya’s borders with Somalia and the potential security gaps following the troop’s withdrawal.

“We share a huge border with Somalia and I would say we have achieved quite a bit in keeping them at bay,” Githua said.

“al Shabaab has already released propaganda videos saying that they are aware forces will leave one day and they know the weaknesses that plague the communities,” he added.

Defence CS Aden Duale on October 4 said that Kenya Defence Forces troops serving under ATMIS will leave the country in four phases.

Duale said the departure of the troops will largely depend on the success rate of the peace-keeping mission in Somalia.

He said that there are no Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia, but there are KDF officers serving under ATMIS through the African Union Peace and Security Council with the approval of the United Nations Security Council.

“So the decision for Kenyan troops to exit Somalia depends on several factors including the progress of ATMIS mandate and prevailing security and political conditions in Somalia,” Duale told the Senate.

Harun Maruf
Thursday October 12, 2023

The head of the African Union Mission in Somalia has called for international support for Somali government forces who are battling the al-Shabab militant group on multiple fronts in the country.

Mohamed El-Amine Souef says the Somali army needs not just training but weapons, equipment and skills for the officers, and lifting the arms embargo so that the country can buy weapons.

In an interview with VOA Somali, Souef said Somalia has a “young force” and there is a responsibility on the international community to support not only force generation but also weapons and ammunition, and skills.

“You saw what happened in Israel, the issue between Hamas and Israel, immediately their partners, including the United States, they immediately took [a] decision to support Israel in terms of weapons and ammunition,” he said, citing the Israel-Hamas war, which triggered the U.S. sending emergency military aid within a matter of days.

“I think the Somalis are now struggling with embargo … that embargo should be lifted.”

Souef said some of the countries that sent troops to Somalia have agreed they will donate equipment, vehicles, and guns to the Somali army when they withdraw by December next year.

He confirmed that the Africa Union Peace and Security Council has approved Somalia’s request for a three-month pause of the withdrawal of 3,000 peacekeepers. “It has been delayed officially for three months.”

Asked if the Somali government is underestimating the magnitude of the task in taking over responsibilities from the AU and fighting al-Shabab, Souef said there is a “political will” in Somalia to take over security responsibilities from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia.

“The most important is the political will,” he said. “The political will is there, and then the Somalis don’t want to be assisted forever. They want to take their ownership. They are working very hard.”

On Wednesday, a senior Somali government official welcomed the pause of the troops drawdown but expressed confidence the government will have enough troops in the coming months to resume responsibilities.

Kamal Dahir Hassan Gutale, national security adviser to Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, said the government has trained 9,700 soldiers since taking office in May 2022, and had an additional 3,000 troops trained in Eritrea.

He said there are more troops still being trained abroad.

Gutale said the government is confident Somali troops will assume responsibility after the 90-day pause, and after completion of the next drawdown scheduled for June 2024, when 5,000 AU troops will be leaving.

“It is something we are taking very seriously, and now it is our responsibility to fill the gap,” he said.

Gutale said Somali forces have been shouldering double tasks — fighting al-Shabab and capturing large territories, while also training new forces.

“SNA [Somali National Army] has liberated large territories from Mogadishu all the way to Harardhere, which is a tremendous and uphill task,” he said.

Souef warned against underestimating al-Shabab, which he said conducts extensive training, and attempts to “dominate the terrain.”

He said the group is getting weapons and are “very well-equipped.”

“No, we are not underestimating al-Shabab, and nobody can underestimate al-Shabab,” he said. “I spoke with you earlier about what happened two days ago — Hamas is just such an armed group, movement, and you saw the damage they caused in Israel, while Israel is one of the most well-organized countries, well-equipped militaries and in terms of intelligence.”

Souef said the AU troops are waiting for helicopters to arrive from Burundi, subject to clearance from the Somali government, to add to the two helicopters they already received from Uganda.

“The helicopters will be here maybe within two or three weeks,” he said. “Once we have the helicopters, we will have the possibility to generate QRF [Quick Reaction Forces] and then we will be more mobile, agile and follow the SNA wherever they are fighting and to support them.”

By ABDULKADIR KHALIF
Thursday October 12, 2023

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud returned to Eritrea for what his office said was a working visit which involved him touring the military camps where Somali cadets have been undergoing training since 2019.

Arriving in Asmara on Sunday, the Somalian leader was cordially received by his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki who accompanied him to some of the training sites a day later.

Among the trainees visited by Mohamud were those undergoing or finishing skills building in navy and air force. Others were building expertise in infantry and other mechanised military dexterity.

“I am very happy that you have spared no efforts in building your skills through tough training,” Mohamud told cadets that performed a military parade in one of the camps.

“You will participate in the arduous work of ascertaining a strong and united Somalia,” he added.
Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane G Meskel told the media that Somali leader was thankful for Eritrea’s contributions to Somalia’s peace building, calling it a brotherly country.

The first batch of the trained cadets had returned to Somalia, reportedly participating in the campaigns to defeat the Al Qaeda linked extremist Al Shabaab group.

Somalia’s Ministry of Information reported last week that military operations by pro-government forces killed 1650 extremist militants over the past two months, wounding 550 others.

When former Somalia president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo was handing over Villa Somalia, the presidential palace to President-elect Mohamud in June 2022, he told his successor that 5,000 cadets were in Eritrea.

But their stay had elicited serious rumours including claims they had participated in the Ethiopian war in Tigray which ended last year in November following a peace deal between Ethiopian government and its nemesis, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Both Somalia an Eritrea had denied the claims but it didn’t stop families of cadets from demanding answers.

“Upon returning, those in Eritrea will help the government defeat the terrorists,” Farmaajo had told Mohamud in a televised event last year in May. Mohamud would later meet the families after initially visiting Asmara.

Yet, when Farmaajo’s opposition figures including Mohamud were in the presidential campaign, they criticised thousands being trained in Eritrea, perceiving that they were being prepared to oppress the opposition.

Some even asserted that the trainees were sent to Ethiopia to partake the Tigray conflict, a claim that the former government consistently rebuffed.

Many are surprised that a former critique, now a president has visited Eritrea for the fourth time since July last year, going to see the trainees in their camps, showing obvious admiration.