The African union was studying a request from Somalia Thursday to slow down the withdrawal of its forces deployed in the country against islamist militants,officials from the body said.
Alshabaab,al aqaeda affiliated group has been waging a deadly insurgency against the fragile central government in Somalia for more than 17 years.
UN resolutions called for forces in the African union peacekeeping mission,known as ATMIS to reduced to zero by December 31 through sveral withdrawal phases,hadling over security to the somali army and police.
The third and penultimate phase was to see the departure of 4,000 soldiers by the end of June.
However,an AU official who requested anonymity told AFP that in may,the somali government asked the organization’s peace and security council (PSC) to extend the presence of half of the troops by three months.
The government wants only 2,000 men to leave in June and the other 2,000 in September,the official said,adding that Mogadishu had put forward the need to carry out an”offensive operation”.
At present 13,500 ATMIS soldiers are deployed in somalia.
Meeting on thursfay in addis ababa,the PSC wax expected to give a favourable reponse,said the source.
“The PSC will discuss on Thursday the (Somali) request to slow down the reduction in the number of ATMIS troops by a few months,”an AU diplomat,who also requested anonymity,told AFP.
But any extension would lead to budgetary problems,he said and a change would not be “just a decision by the PSC”.
ATMIS derives its mandate from the AU but must also be authorized by the UN security council.
In addition,ATMIS main direct financial contributor is the European union,wich has released 70 million euros ($75 million) for 2024.
Comprising troops from Burundi,Djibouti,Ethiopia,Kenya and Uganda,ATMIS supports the somali army wich has been fighting al shabaab for over 17 years.
Although driven out of the capital by AU forces in 2011,alshabaab still has a strong presence in rural Somalia.
It has carried out repeated attacks against political,security and civilian targets,mostly in Somalia but also in neighbouring countries including Kenya.
Last week in southern Somalia alshabaab planted a roadside bomb that killed six soldiers including a senior military commander.
Source:AFP