By JULIUS BARIGABA
Thursday August 8, 2024
Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Mohamed El-Amine Souef (L), visits Atmis troops in a Forward Operating Base. A new force is taking over in January 2025. PHOTO | FILE
Less than four months to the expiry of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) mandate, the continental body’s Peace and Security Council has endorsed the plan for the creation and deployment of a new force, to be known as the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom).
The AU-led post-Atmis force, whose size, scope and mission duration are still undecided, is expected to mobilise troops from several willing countries, deploy and start operations on January 1, 2025, mainly protecting the Somali civilian population from al-Shabaab attacks.
In a communique dated August 1, 2024, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) in its 1225th sitting, said it had adopted the strategic Concept of Operations (Conops) for Aussom, submitted by the Commission after extensive consultations with Atmis, the Government of Somalia, the United Nations and other international partners.
The PSC communique indicates that Egypt will debut troops deployment in Somalia, joining ranks with regional countries such as Uganda, which has had troops in the Horn of Africa nation since 2007, and has already signalled intent to be part of the new force.
The other current troop-contributing country that will deploy under Aussom is Djibouti, the communique says, but does not mention Kenya, Ethiopia and Burundi, which also have had uniformed personnel in Somalia for over a decade.
The PSC meeting was addressed by Tebelelo Alfred Boang, Permanent Representative of Botswana to the AU and PSC Chairperson for August 2024, and Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, who presented the Conops for the post-Atmis force.
Abdullahi Warfa, Permanent Representative of Somalia to the AU, also attended the meeting.
The Security Council said there is a need for an assessment of the implications of the Phase 3 drawdown of Atmis to avoid any security vacuum during the transition phase to Aussom.
Somalia has followed a slow and cautious approach to the drawdown of troops because of security setbacks, which saw Mogadishu in June this year seek to delay till end of September the exit of 2,000 soldiers out of 4,000 who were meant to leave the mission at the end of phase three of the drawdown on June 30.
But the UN Security Council reviewed this period and authorised the 2,000 troops who were meant to exit at the end of June to stay till August 12.
But, in its latest sitting, the PSC urged the AU Commission to consult with the troop and police-contributing countries, the Somali government and the UN, and report back by the end of September 2024 as the parties seek a smooth transition to the new mission.
Atmis has suffered funding challenges, which are likely to continue with Aussom, for which the PSC urged the AU Commission to undertake extensive engagements with the UN, European Union, strategic partners and donors to ensure adequate, predictable and sustainable funding and other forms of support.
The Council expects a report on funding by September 2024, detailing potential additional sources of aid to fill the financial gaps that could impact Aussom operations and effectiveness against the Shabaab.