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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud said that the Somali army would be able to take over from the African Union forces the security of the country. Forces deployed by AU are expected to leave the country at the end of 2024. The deployment was mostly to fight against the radical Islamists, namely, Shebab.
Launched in August 2022 in the center of the country, this offensive has made notable progress but has stalled in recent months. The Islamist group is affiliated with al-Qaeda, which has been leading the insurgency against the Somali authorities for 16 years,
The Somali army benefited from the support of the African Union force (Atmis), to retake large areas of the territory, particularly in the center of the country. The deployed troops (Atmis) are mostly from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. The second phase of their withdrawal from Somalia was to begin in September with the departure of 3,000 troops. However, the Somali government requested and received a three-month postponement since the local troops had some setbacks in reorganizing themselves.
Hassan Cheikh Mohamoud was talking during a conference in London organized by the think tank Royal United Services Institute. He further said that now his administration was ready to take the reins of security.
Asked about possible new deadlines that his government could ask for by the end of 2024, he assured that his government could adhere to the timeline since it was in the process of making up for its lack of trained soldiers. He also said that while the phased withdrawal would continue, Somalia would create more forces to take responsibility for the security of the country.
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Supported by the international community, the government mainly controls cities, including the capital Mogadishu. Shebab remains established in large areas of the south and center, causing security concerns.
