Today, The African Union (AU) began a new peacekeeping mission in Somalia with the aim of to continuing the fight against the Al Shabab jihadist group, supporting a "gradual handover of security responsibilities" to the Somali government. The mission, approved by the UN Security Council on Thursday, has replaced the former AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which has operated in the country since 2007.
Its mandate, with an initial duration of 12 months, includes reducing the threat from Al Shabab, supporting the capacity of the Somali security forces integrated into the mission, facilitating the handover of security responsibilities to the Somali army and police, and supporting peace and reconciliation efforts in the country.
To achieve these objectives, AU troops will be able to organise joint military operations with Somali security forces, the UN Security Council said. The Security Council also approved the deployment of some 20,000 troops until 31 December 2022, and some 18,000 troops from 1 January to 31 March 2023.
However, Somalia's permanent representative to the UN, Abukar Dahir Osman, lamented on Thursday that the mandate of the new AU mission has "ignored" some of the Somali government's proposals, leaving its army "with little or no logistical support". According to Osman, the findings of the Somali government, the AU and the UN, which showed that the Al Shabab terrorist group has evolved into an "organised criminal enterprise", indicated that the AU mission should focus "on organising effective, agile and mobile operations" with the Somali army.
The UN Security Council yesterday stressed the importance of "completing the electoral process in Somalia" so that the authorities can improve the security situation in the country. Despite numerous appeals from the international community, the country missed a third deadline on Thursday to complete its lower house elections. The presidential elections have been postponed several times since 2021 despite the fact that the mandate of the president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, expired that year.
The systematic postponement of elections is a distraction from notable problems for the country, such as the fight against Al Shabab, which has been linked to Al Qaeda since 2012.
Although Somalia's military efforts and AMISOM have driven the jihadist group out of major cities, these fighters still control rural areas in the centre and south and want to establish a Wahhabi (ultra-conservative) Islamic state. In addition, attacks by Al Shabab, which rejects internationally backed elections, remain relatively frequent in Mogadishu and other urban areas.
Somalia has been in a state of conflict and chaos since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, leaving the country without effective government and in the hands of warlords and Islamist militias.
Categories: Africa, Politics, Social Issues
Tags: Somalia, African Union, Al Shabab, Macky Sall
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