Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
3 December 2008
Somalia — AMISOM officials in Somalia declared that they do not have enough forces to replace the Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu on Wednesday.
AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Force Commander Major-General Francis Okello told Shabelle that they would support more forces to come in Somalia to replace the Ethiopian soldiers.
AMISOM does not have enough forces to replace the Ethiopian forces, Major-General Francis Okello said.
Major-General Francis Okello confirmed that they had lost one Burundian peace keeper when insurgents attacked Jalle Siad Military Academy, a base of Burundian peace keepers in Somalia.
Some body fired a bullet on our soldiers and one died, Said Okello. We are not afraid of being attacked he added.
This comes as Ethiopia announced on Friday that its troops will withdraw from Somalia by the end of this year.
Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to the AMISOM in March 2007 and Burundi followed in 2008, but the force is still far short of the 8,000 soldiers initially announced by the AU.
AU peacekeepers have struggled to make an impact in Somalia, where they are targeted by Islamist insurgents seeking to regain power from the government forces.
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