Addis Abeba — Under the auspices of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Sector Four members of the Ethiopian and Djibouti peacekeeping forces conducted the 7th round of joint combat exercise, according to the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).

Colonel Shumet Telelew, Sector Four Deputy Commander, said that the role of the peacekeeping forces joint combat exercise is aimed at predicting and fulfilling future duties in a coordinated manner.

The Colonel, who provided military instructions to the joint members of the two countries' peacekeeping forces before the start of the combat exercise, further pointed out that the joint exercise, in addition helping to coordinate actions to eliminate the occasional hostilities by al-Shabaab fighters, will play a role to strengthen the unity of the Ethiopian and Djibouti soldiers.

After the exercise, the peacekeeping members said that the joint combat exercise based on practice is more than just checking the military's position; it will help the trainees to coordinate actions to destroy al-Shabaab militants by establishing an alliance between members of the Ethiopian and Djibouti forces, ENDF said.

The news comes a day after news of the latest attack on Sunday 27 November by Al-Shabab militants in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, inside Villa Rossa hotel located in a secure area and not far from the presidential palace , according to media reports.

A successor of the former African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), ATMIS is a "multidimensional mission (military, police and civilian), authorized by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council - AU Peace and Security Council", which became operational on 1 April 2022. While Uganda is the largest troop contributing country to ATMIS, others include Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, and Djibouti. AS