UN peacekeepers to join AU mission in Somalia

The African Union (AU) says Al-Shabaab remains a potent threat to national security and that prompted a need to change the war strategy in Somalia. The government has already rejected the plan.

News Keydmedia Online
11 October 2021

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The AU has agreed to make changes to its long-running mission in Somalia after failing to prepare a strong local force capable of taking over the country’s security responsibility.

After a two-day meeting in Addis Ababa, the AU’s peace and security council agreed to expand the mission by including troops from other countries from the continent under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

The decision which awaits approval from the UN security council and the Somali government comes as the current AMISOM mandate nears an end on December 31 amid the electioneering period in the country.

The African Union (AU) says Al-Shabaab remains a potent threat to national security and that prompted a need to change the war strategy in Somalia. The government has already rejected the plan.

AMISOM's 22,000-strong force from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti has been operating in Somalia for 14 years, failing to drive al-Shabaab out of the entire Horn of Africa country.

The European Union [EU] and the United Nations [UN] provide funding for the AMISOM mission, in which each soldier receives $ 1,228 a month while the Somali soldier receives less than $200 as salary.

KEYDMEDIA English