Somalia and the African Union agree on troop numbers for the new mission
The Somali federal government and the African Union have reached an agreement on the number of countries contributing troops to the new African Union mission, after weeks of disagreements between Ethiopia and Somalia.According to an African Union official, who requested to remain anonymous because he does not have permission to speak to the media, it has been decided that Burundian forces who have been in Somalia since 2007 will leave the country, after a dispute occurred between the Somali and Burundian governments over the number of troops coming from Burundi.
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia is expected to include about 11,900 personnel, including soldiers, police, and civilian employees, working in Somali territory. The following numbers of troops have been allocated to different countries: 4,500 soldiers from Uganda, 2,500 soldiers from Ethiopia, 1,520 soldiers from Djibouti, 1,410 soldiers from Kenya, and 1,091 soldiers from Egypt, the official said.
Regarding the participation of Burundian forces, an African Union diplomat indicated that negotiations on this issue are still ongoing, stressing that Burundi’s departure will have major political and financial impacts on the African Union.
It is noteworthy that the first African Union contingent from Uganda was deployed in Somalia in March 2007, at a time when the extremist Al-Shabaab movement controlled large areas in the south and center of the country, including large parts of the capital, Mogadishu.
0 Comments