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| Africa Horn |
| Somali government applauds AU decision to boost troop numbers |
| 2010-07-29 |
| [The Nation (Nairobi)] Somalia's embattled government today hailed the African Union's decision to beef up its force in Mogadishu where fierce clashes with Islamist rebels left 17 civilians dead. Government spokesman Abdulkadir Mohamoud Walayo said the pan-African bloc's move was crucial in improving security in war-torn Somalia and the entire region. "We applaud the fresh troop contributions made by AU states," said Mr Walayo, a day after the AU commission chief Jean Ping said they had received pledges for 4,000 troops at the close of a three-day heads of state summit in Kampala. "We believe this decision will help improve the security situation in Somalia and also contain the threat Al-Qaeda elements are posing to the region in general." But even as African leaders scrambled to boost the AU mission in Somalia (AMISOM), officials said Islamist rebels had engaged the force in fierce battles Tuesday that left at least 17 civilians dead in Mogadishu's Taleh district. Forty-six others were also wounded in the clashes, head of Mogadishu's ambulance services Ali Musa said, adding that according to their tally 174 people had been killed and more than 700 injured so far this month. Amisom, which currently counts 6,000 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi, has been the only thing preventing Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab insurgents from taking the presidential palace and completing their power grab. "Their decision is a lifeline for the transitional government and is good not only for security in Somalia but for security in neighbouring countries," Walayo insisted. The AU summit was dominated by the crisis in Somalia, which took a regional dimension when suicide attacks claimed by the Shebab ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final in the Ugandan capital on July 11, killing 76. Amisom is also seeking a tougher mandate, or at least modified rules of engagement, which would allow it to hunt the Shebab and not be limited to retaliatory action from the few blocks of Mogadishu housing the government. Military experts say that Amisom at its current strength could already reconquer much of Mogadishu if it wanted to but would still require much more troops, equipment and funding to defeat the Shebab nationally. Before it pulled out, Ethiopia had between 15,000 and 20,000 even better-trained troops in Somalia but failed to break the back of the Shebab, who were weaker then than they are now. |
| Posted by:Fred |