...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...
Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops have started handing over some of the Forward Operating Bases [FOBs] to Somalia National Army [SNA] ahead of planned strategic withdrawal.
According to reports, the Burundian forces serving in ATMIS handed over Xaaji Cali [Haji Ali] Forward Operating Base, Middle Shabelle region, to Somali forces as part of the ATMIS drawdown. ATMIS plans to complete the withdrawal of 2000 soldiers from Somalia by the end of this month.
The Burundian contingent is the second largest in ATMIS and has played a key role in degrading al-Shabaab
...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...snuffies in several parts of HirShabelle, a state which was initially a home to the krazed killers. Most of the soldiers serving in the contingent participated in the first phase of operations against the group.
Statistics from the Federal Government of Somalia indicate that over 3,000 al-Shabaab snuffies were killed in the first phase with the country now planning the second onslaught in Southwest and Jubaland states. Recently, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made changes in the top most leadership of the SNA, which saw him sack army chief Gen. Odowaa Yusuf Rageh.
The exit of Burundi soldiers is a huge indicator that the African Union could not stay in Somalia beyond schedule, with December 2024 set aside as the deadline. The Union has close to 22,000 strong force which has been conducting peace operations within Somalia for the last 15 years.
Recently, the government of Somalia confirmed that it had trained over 20,000 soldiers who are going to take over from AU forces, having been also equipped to take security responsibilities. Critics argue that the exit of the ATMIS troops could give al-Shabaab more room to antagonize locals.