(SomaliNet) A day after Somalia's government signed a peace agreement with some opposition figures, the U.N. Security Council authorized on Tuesday an African Union force in Somalia for another six months. Meanwhile, a unanimous resolution also asked U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to work with the AU to strengthen U.N. logistical, political and technical support to help bring the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, up to U.N. standards. The peace agreement, which was initiated on June 9 in Djibouti and signed on Monday, has been rejected by hard-liners and done little to quell violence.
Last month the AU said it was incapable of stabilizing the situation in Somalia and urged the United Nations to take over peacekeeping operations. The world body has been cautious of stepping in before some kind of peace is established. AMISOM has authorized the deployment of 8,000 troops but has only 2,600 on the ground.
Nigeria said last week it would deploy a battalion of 850 officers and soldiers to Somalia in the next few weeks to join existing AMISOM forces. AMISOM is made up of soldiers from Uganda and Burundi. AMISOM was meant to replace Ethiopian troops whose presence inflamed the insurgency because they helped Somalia's government dislodge an Islamist movement at the start of 2007.
A shortage of funds and the violence raging in the capital Mogadishu have prompted several nations to reconsider their offers of troops.