Mogadishu, Somalia — The African Union dispatches a high-level team to the Somali capital, Mogadishu as ATMIS is expected to pull 3,000 soldiers out of the country, the second phase of the troop drawdown.

The AU delegation from the Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), is led by the Permanent Representative of the Subcommittee on Refugees, Returning Refugees and Displaced Persons, Jainaba Jagne.

She arrived in the capital on Saturday for a week-long visit to Somalia to meet with key stakeholders and assess the humanitarian situation in the country, according to ATMIS.

Jagne was welcomed by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Somalia to the African Union AU and UNECA, Shafie Nuralaas Farah, the Commander of the ATMIS Forces, Major General Sam Okiding, and the Deputy Commander of the ATMIS Forces for Operations and Planning. Sergeant Major Marius Ngendabanka

The delegation is expected to hold meetings with the senior leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia, Charitable Organizations, Civil Society Organizations, IGAD, Ambassadors of the countries whose forces are ATMIS, and other important members.

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) says preparations for the drawdown of 3000 soldiers by 30 September 2023 are at an advanced stage.

The drawdown is in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 2628 and 2670 which mandates ATMIS to draw down 2000 soldiers by the end of June and hand over security in agreed areas to the Somali Security Forces (SSF).

ATMIS said it continues to conduct both joint targeted and routine operations to degrade Al-Shabaab, which wants to topple the Somali government and expel the AU troops.

In Mogadishu and the regions, ATMIS provides security to population centers, main supply routes, and key government institutions including Parliament, Presidential Palaces, seaports, airports, and airfields.