Somalia to replace ATMIS with 12,000-troop African force: Advisor
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Somali National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh-Ali says 10,000 troops will assume the primary responsibilities currently managed by ATMIS, while the remaining 2,000 will undertake supplementary tasks.
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Ugandan soldiers with the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) stand next to their armored vehicle, with a campaign poster for presidential candidate Ahmed Abdullahi Samow seen above, on a street in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (AP)
The Somali government has announced a new military operation to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is set to withdraw by the end of this year, state media reported on Monday.
UN resolutions called for ATMIS to be reduced to zero by December 31, with security handed over to the Somali army and police.
National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh-Ali pointed out that a contingent of 12,000 troops from various African countries will temporarily take over ATMIS' responsibilities.
"Under the leadership of the Somali government, a smaller African force is set to replace ATMIS. The government is currently in the process of deciding which countries will contribute to this new contingent, which is expected to number 12,000 troops," he told Somalia's national broadcaster SNTV.
Sheikh-Ali mentioned that 10,000 troops will assume the primary responsibilities currently managed by ATMIS, while the remaining 2,000 will undertake supplementary tasks.
The latest announcement has raised concerns among several African nations, who fear that the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group could seize control of Somali regions following the withdrawal of ATMIS, especially as the group claimed earlier this year that it had taken multiple locations in the center of the country.
Al-Shabaab has been waging a deadly insurgency against the central government in Mogadishu for more than 17 years. It has carried out repeated attacks against political, security, and civilian targets, mostly in Somalia, but also in neighboring countries including Kenya.
Last week, in southern Somalia, al-Shabaab planted a roadside bomb that killed six soldiers, including a senior military commander.
Sheikh-Ali indicated that the details regarding the contributing countries and the exact timeline for the deployment are still being finalized by the Somali government.
African Union supports Somalia's call to adjust troop withdrawal
This comes as a couple of days ago, the African Union backed Somalia's request to slow the withdrawal of its troops and called for a new international force to replace the AU peacekeeping mission.
The third and penultimate phase was to see the departure of 4,000 soldiers out of a total of 13,500 ATMIS troops by the end of June.
But, following a request from Somalia's government to see only 2,000 troops leave in June and the remaining 2,000 withdraw in September, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) said in a statement Thursday that it "strongly supports... a phased approach" to the drawdown.
ATMIS, whose main direct financial contributor is the European Union, derives its mandate from the AU but must also be authorized by the UN Security Council.
The AU called for "the establishment of a new African Union-led Mission for Somalia... for post-ATMIS security arrangements that should be UN-authorised."
It asked parties including the Somali government to come up with a plan for the new force by the end of next month, urging "clear benchmarks and timelines for the transition from ATMIS to the new mission as well as the duration of the new mission."
ATMIS comprises troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
