The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday voted to create a new African Union-led peacekeeping force in Somalia to fight against militant groups, reported Africa News.
The new mission African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) will replace the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), which is composed of 20,000 soldiers, police, and civilians helping local authorities fight against the jihadist insurgents.
The current mission’s mandate expired on Thursday. It will be gradually reduced to zero by the end of 2024. Under the resolution approved on Thursday, the UN force reduction will be carried out in four phases.
“The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution… to reconfigure Amisom,” the UAE, which holds the UNSC presidency, said on Twitter. “It is now the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis).”
The new mission will work to enable Somali forces to take primary responsibility for security. It will continue the fight against Shebab jihadists.
The UNSC has authorized African Union to deploy up to 19,626 uniformed personnel including a minimum of 1,040 police personnel until Dec. 31 and decrease the number to 17,626 between January 1, 2023, and March 31, 2023.
The Council said the conclusion of the electoral process will help progress national priorities and support the transition from international security support.
The parliamentary and presidential elections in Somalia have been postponed for over a year. The mandate of the current President, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also popularly known as President Farmajo, expired in February 2021.
The Horn of Africa nation is going through a political crisis that has postponed long-delayed parliamentary elections which were to be completed on March 15. It has seen a spate of attacks in recent weeks.
Somalian capital, Mogadishu, has been the center of multiple terrorist attacks. Last week, at least 48 people lost their lives in two separate attacks.
