UN to approve ATMIS to succeed AMISOM

Members of the United Nations Security Council will discuss the fate of transition to the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) which is expected to replace the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

One and a half-decade of operation of Amisom will come to an end on 31st of March this year. ATMIS will in the next two years be charged with stabilizing Somalia with a clear end goal of transferring full responsibilities of national security to the Federal Government of Somalia.

The details of who will contribute troops or personnel remain undeclared but it is assumed the current force contributors will retain their soldiers, albeit reduced numbers.

Amisom, created in 2007 to support the fragile government in Mogadishu and secure the country from al-Shabaab terror attacks, has been crucial in Somalia’s relative security, but it was also criticised for failing to defeat the group because it had no way of totally dissuading the Somali population from joining the extremists.