African Union Begins Pulling Forces Out of War-Torn Somalia

MOGADISHU (Capital Markets in Africa) – The African Union mission in Somalia said it has started gradually withdrawing its forces from the war-torn nation and will have 1,000 fewer troops there by the end of the year.

Troop movements have begun in various parts of the Horn of Africa country and will continue in the coming weeks, the mission known as Amisom said Tuesday on its Twitter account. Security responsibilities will be gradually transferred to Somali national forces, who urgently need weapons and “key logistical support including timely payment of stipends,” it said.

The African Union deployed troops in Somalia in 2007 to battle Islamist militant group al-Shabaab and help stabilize the country that descended into civil war in the early 1990s. Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia currently provide the bulk of the mission’s about 22,000 armed personnel and police officers. The European Union pays troop allowances and other expenses, while the United Nations provides logistical support and the U.S. has stepped up its military involvement in Somalia this year.

The announcement comes in the wake of three deadly bomb attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, last month that were blamed on al-Shabaab, including an Oct. 14 truck-bombing that left more than 300 people dead.

Source: Bloomberg Business News