African Union Completes Second Phase of Troop Drawdown in Somalia

The African Union’s peacekeeping force in Somalia, known as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), announced the successful completion of the second phase of troop drawdown after a four-month delay. In a statement released on Friday, the drawdown involved the reduction of 3,000 troops from the mission.

The decision to pause the drawdown was initiated by the Mogadishu government following setbacks against the Al-Shabaab jihadists, an Al-Qaeda-linked insurgency group operating in Somalia.
The government had requested a three-month “technical pause” in the drawdown initially scheduled for September.
According to ATMIS, seven forward operating bases were handed over to the internationally-backed Somali government, and two others were closed as part of the completed Phase Two drawdown.
Lieutenant General Sam Okiding, speaking on behalf of ATMIS, stated, “We will soon start preparations for the next phase, Phase Three, to reduce our numbers by 4,000 troops in June.”
The first two phases of the withdrawal saw a total reduction of 5,000 soldiers. Currently, approximately 14,600 troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda remain deployed in Somalia as part of the peacekeeping mission.
ATMIS is operating under a UN calendar, with plans to complete its withdrawal from the Horn of Africa nation by the end of the year. The mission aims to hand over control to Somali security forces, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to stabilize the region