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Somalia: AU Troops Begin Their Exit as Mandate Nears End
Shabelle, 21 June 2023
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has started to drawdown in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 2628(22) and 2670(22)… Read more »
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Uganda: UPDF Hands Over Base to Somali Army As Troop Withdrawal Kicks Off
Nile Post, 29 June 2023
Ugandan troops under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have handed over one of their Forward Operating Bases(FOB) to the Somalia National Army as part of the… Read more »
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Capital FM, 22 June 2023
As part of its ongoing troop drawdown, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has officially handed over a Forward Operating Base (FOB) to the Somali National Army… Read more »
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Africa: Somalia Facing Uncertainty As African Troops Leave
VOA, 17 June 2023
A rapid collapse of state institutions may await Somalia when the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, or ATMIS, ends at the end of 2024, unless the United Nations' weapons… Read more »
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Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attacks Military Base in Somalia
Shabelle, 21 June 2023
Reports reaching us in Bardhere district of Gedo region indicate that two suicide blasts and heavy gunfire were heard outside a military base. Read more »
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Uganda: Uganda Buying Drones for the Troops in Somalia After Attack
Shabelle, 20 June 2023
Ugandan President Museveni has said that he is planning to buy drones to the UPDF forces in Somalia if they cannot get support from their partners. Read more »
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Somalia: Seven Killed in Attack On Somali Military Training Camp
VOA, 21 June 2023
At least seven people were killed Wednesday when two cars loaded with explosives detonated outside a military training camp in the southern Somali town of Bardhere. Read more »
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Somalia: 'Immense Tragedy' Underscores Need to Address Unexploded Ordnance Danger in Somalia
UN News, 12 June 2023
Greater efforts are needed to protect civilians in Somalia from unexploded weapons of war, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Monday in the wake of a recent deadly incident… Read more »
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Somalia: Govt Says Army Killed Dozens of Al-Shabaab Members in Raid
Shabelle, 19 June 2023
The Somali government said that the last operation against Al-Shabaab, which took place on June 16 in the Jamame town killed 43 militants. Read more »
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Somalia: Young Refugees From Somalia Caught Between 'Open Prison' and Unstable Homeland
VOA, 20 June 2023
Nasra Abdi Hassan, a public health officer for the World Health Organization, arrived in Mogadishu on the morning of June 9 to attend a training for women on security awareness. Read more »
AU Troops Begin Withdrawal From Somalia
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has started a drawdown in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2628(22) and 2670(22), which mandate ATMIS to withdraw 2,000 soldiers by the end of June 2023, Shabelle Media Network reports.
ATMIS, with the support of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia, has handed over the first Forward Operating Base at Xaaji Cali in Hirshabelle State to the Somali National Army. The base was the responsibility of ATMIS Burundi National Defence Forces.
Writing for Voice of America, Mohamed Olad Hassan says security experts are warning that a rapid collapse of state institutions may await the country when the ATMIS mandate ends at the end of 2024, unless the UN weapons embargo on the country is lifted.
Abdisalam Yusuf Guled, the founder of Eagle Range Services, a security company in Mogadishu, and former deputy chief of the National Security Agency, is among those who voiced their concerns.
"I have a great concern that Somalia could be another Afghanistan if the African Union troops leave the country, without Somalia getting strong and well-armed security forces that have international funding and backing similar to that for ATMIS," Guled said.
On the other hand, former deputy chief of Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency, or NISA, Ismail Dahir Osman, said he thinks the militants are on a downward spiral and that they cannot endanger Somalia's government, once African troops leave the country.
InFocus
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The U.S. State Department has named five mid-level commanders and multiple junior finance officers of the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab, global terrorists. The U.S. reported ... Read more »
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Militant group Al-Shabaab attacked a beachfront hotel in Mogadishu on Friday, June 9, 2023. Witnesses told VOA's Somali Service that the assault began with at least two explosions ... Read more »
Officers from the Sierra Leonean contingent serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) mount a guard of honor during a familiarization visit by the new ATMIS Police Commissioner, Commissioner of Police Hillary Sao Kanu, to sector 6 in Kismayo, Somalia in March 2023.
