Somalia braces for AU troops exit

Somalia has formed a steering committee of commanders from various security agencies to discuss the imminent takeover of national security from the African Union mission (Amisom).

Amisom was created in 2007 to help the internationally recognised government in Mogadishu regain control of the country and fight al-Shabab. Countries contributing troops to the mission include Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia.

The AU mission’s mandate is set to formally end by 31 December, but the UN Security Council might grant it a temporary extension.

There are fears that the country’s security forces are not ready amid regular and deadly attacks by the al-Shabab militant group.

Government officials including ministers and security commanders attended the meeting aimed at assessing the security progress.

According to the ministry, the meeting aims to implement “the unified national strategic and political vision” to ensure the transfer of all security responsibilities from Amisom to the Somali Security Forces.

The government has been holding meetings with AU and UN officials on the matter.

In October, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council proposed a plan to establish a UN-AU hybrid mission in Somalia to replace Amisom, but this was rejected by the Somali government.

By BBC