Somalia is preparing to take control of its own security after 18 years and three multinational peace missions. The African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), established in 2022, is preparing to withdraw 2,000 troops from Somalia by 30 June 2023, the first of three drawdowns in its transition plan.
The withdrawal of another 3,000 ATMIS troops is expected by 30 September 2023, and another 4,000 will leave later. Somalia and the countries contributing to ATMIS aim to turn security over to Somali forces while consolidating and preserving gains made against the Al-Shabaab insurgency by ATMIS and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which preceded ATMIS from 2007 to 2022.
With the first withdrawal approaching, presidents of ATMIS troop-contributing countries met on 27 April 2023 in Entebbe, Uganda, to discuss the mission and the impending drawdown. The officials issued a communique after their meeting calling for increased logistical support to the Somali Security Forces and reaffirming United Nations Security Council resolutions seeking a strategic, gradual, and sector-by-sector approach to the drawdown.
The communique also underscored the importance of force protection, such as aviation support, and called upon the AU and its partners to provide adequate funding to sustain ATMIS through the end of its mandate. The European Union is the biggest financial contributor to ATMIS, but it dropped its $154 million funding level in 2022 to about $94 million for 2023. Despite the challenges, the Somali government aims to have 24,000 troops ready to go by next year and defeat Al-Shabaab by summer 2024.
In Conclusion;
- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) started on April 1, 2022, replacing the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) that had been in place since 2007.
- ATMIS aims to degrade Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups, provide security to population centers and open main supply routes, develop the capacity of the Somali National Army (SNA), and promote the rule of law and human rights in Somalia.
- ATMIS plans to gradually withdraw its troops sector by sector with the ultimate goal of ending the mission by December 31, 2024.
- The withdrawal will be conducted in four phases, with ATMIS troop levels decreasing from 18,586 to just over 9,500 at the end of the transition period in late 2024.
- Somalia plans to gradually ramp up its force levels to about 23,000 and take over security responsibilities when ATMIS fully withdraws.
- ATMIS will maintain a police force of 1,040 officers and several dozen civilian operatives throughout the transition period.
- Funding for ATMIS has been a concern, with the mission facing a dire funding shortfall despite notable progress made in joint kinetic operations with Somali security forces against Al-Shabaab militants.
- The European Union is the biggest financial contributor to ATMIS, but it dropped its funding level in 2022, and the mission saw a total funding shortfall of over $28 million that year.
- Some observers remain skeptical of the chances for success as the transition progresses, with concerns about Al-Shabaab’s withdrawal strategy and the need for continued logistical and aviation support for Somali security forces.
- The AU and its partners have called for increased funding to sustain ATMIS through the end of its mandate and for the lifting of the arms embargo on Somalia so that the country can adequately meet its security needs.
Source: ATMIS: https://atmis-au.org/atmis-at-advance-stages-in-preparation-for-june-drawdown-of-2000-soldiers/?fbclid=IwAR39L5YvmKnrAQXT_2Xz1B96-a-Z0IAjalhfh8KWOKvJvRKj_qdnbueToRI
