...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Peace and Security Council have now approved a new plan of operations in Somalia that will enable peacekeepers to start liberating regions that are still held by Al-Shabaab
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an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia...Known as the Concept of Operations (ConOps), the blueprint will enable the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to start with Middle Jubba region to flush out al-Shabaab remnants at the beginning of 2019.
The operations will be carried out jointly with the Jubbaland State Forces and the Somali National Army. The ConOps was approved by the Council on November 30 and will guide Amisom operations until 2021.
Middle Jubba, which borders Gedo, Bay, Lower Shabelle and the Indian Ocean ‐ is the only region entirely controlled by Al-Shabaab, which has been driven out of most parts of the country.
According to Amisom spokesperson Col Richard Omwega, ConOps is part of the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan, which involves reconfiguring the forces into new sectors in preparation for a conditional handover of security responsibility to Somalia security forces.
"Opening and securing of main supply routes in the country in a priority. It also addresses the capacity building of Somali citizens and stabilization programmes to enhance and sustain peace and security as the country readies for a general election in 2020," said Col Omwega.
The document will have to be approved by the AU and senior defense officials of troop-contributing countries ‐ Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, Æthiopia, and Djibouti ‐ before it is operationalized.