Somalia asks peacekeepers to slow withdrawal, fears armed group resurgence
Al Jazeera
Somalia and neighbouring nations have expressed concern over al-Shabab seizing power amid a ‘security vacuum’.
Somalia’s government is seeking to slow the withdrawal of African peacekeepers and warning of a potential security vacuum, documents seen by Reuters news agency show, with neighbouring countries fretting that resurgent al-Shabab armed group fighters could seize power.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a peacekeeping force, is committed to withdrawing by December 31, when a smaller new force is expected to replace it.
However, in a letter last month to the acting chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council, the government asked to delay until September the withdrawal of half the 4,000 troops due to leave by the end of June. The letter has not been reported before.
The government had previously recommended – in a March joint assessment with the African Union (AU), reviewed by Reuters – that the overall withdrawal timeline be adjusted “based on the actual readiness and capabilities” of Somali forces.
The joint assessment, which was mandated by the United Nations Security Council, warned that a “hasty drawdown of ATMIS personnel will contribute to a security vacuum”.
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