By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities in Somalia say the quick withdrawal of African peacekeepers in the country could lead to a potential security vacuum, as neighbouring countries raise concern that resurgent al Shabaab militants could seize power, Reuters reported quoting a document sighted by its correspondent.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a peacekeeping force has issued a Dec. 31 deadline for the final withdrawal of troops, after which a smaller force will take charge of security in the country battling Islamic jihadists.
The government in a letter last month to the acting chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council urged for a delay in the withdrawal till September next year.
The government had in a joint assessment with the AU in March recommended that the overall withdrawal timeline be adjusted “based on the actual readiness and capabilities” of Somali forces.
The joint assessment, which was at the instance of the U.N. Security Council, warned that a “hasty drawdown of ATMIS personnel will contribute to a security vacuum”.
“I’ve never been more concerned about the direction of my home country,” said Mursal Khalif, an independent member of the defence committee in parliament.
The top funders of the AU force in Somalia, the European Union and United States have sought to reduce the peacekeeping operation, arising from concerns about long-term financing and sustainability, four diplomatic sources and a senior Ugandan official said.
Negotiations about a new force have proven complicated, with the AU initially pushing for a more robust mandate than Somalia wanted, three of the diplomatic sources said.
National Security Adviser Hussein Sheikh-Ali said the request to delay the withdrawal this month was meant to align the drawdown with planning for the post-ATMIS mission.
“The notion that there is a ‘fear of al Shabaab resurgence’ is dramatised,” he said, following the publication of this story.
Mohamed El-Amine Souef, AU special representative to Somalia and head of ATMIS, said there was no definitive timeline for concluding negotiations but that all parties were committed to an agreement that helps achieve sustainable peace and security.
“The AU and Somalia’s government have emphasised the importance of a conditions-based drawdown to prevent any security vacuum,” he told Reuters.
