Defence chiefs discuss on AU mission in Somalia

[Deeq A.]

NAIROBI (Caasimada Online) – The defence chiefs of Troop Contributing Countries of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have held its 26th meeting in Nairobi to forge a way forward on peace and security in Somalia.

The military operations coordination committee (MOCC) meeting was attended by representatives from Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

The AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui has chaired the meeting which was joined by UN, US, UK and EU delegates.

Head of AU misson (AMISOM), Francisco Madeira made briefings over the political and security situation in Somalia, while he also presented the progress made on the implementation of the Somalia Transition plan (STP) including the 3 Pilot projects in terms of force generation as well as allocated resources.

Madeira also presented the ongoing AMISOM Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) in Somalia.

The Somalia NSA briefed on the progress made by FGS including the inclusive politics in Somalia, the reconciliation efforts and the constitutional review process.

In statement, Somalia briefed the meeting on the steps taken by FGS to implement the Pilot Phase 1 of the STP. As part of the joint planning, the meeting instructed AMISOM to work closely with the FGS to ensure that SNA troops generated for phase 1 operations are assembled and their operational readiness assessed.

The progress made by AMISOM in Somalia and the steps taken by the SNSF, the MOCC emphasized that the transfer of security responsibility from AMISOM to SNSF is dependent on enhancing SNSF capacity, according to the statement.

The meeting called for greater attention to the political risks of the transition and called for collective effort to bring coherence to partner support to the transition, the statement said.

For effective implementation of the UNSCR 2431, the MOCC observed the need for enhanced capacities and capabilities for AMISOM and SNSF to allow effective joint operations in support of the Transition plan.

The meeting further urged consultation with TCCs/PCCs and looks forward to the final report to be submitted to the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) for consideration.

On the AMISOM drawdown of 1000 troops by 28 February 2019, the meeting considered the modalities and implications of the drawdown pending the outcome of the ORA.

In the meantime, the meeting urged AMISOM to have quick wins in support of the STP and to study the implications of the drawdown in terms of reconfiguration of the forces, the collapsing/reduction of the number of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), handover of FOBs to SNA and related issues.

On the reconfiguration of AMISOM, the Meeting affirmed the need for establishment of an AMISOM Mobile Force under the command and control of the FC with increased military ground and air capabilities. The meeting further noted that the AMISOM civilian component is being enhanced to deploy in strategic locations of AMISOM’s Area of Responsibility and to focus its effort in support of the political and stabilization process in Somalia, the Somalia Transition Plan, in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, Federal Member States and other stakeholders.

On the Re sectorisation of AMISOM AOR, the MOCC agreed to maintain the current sector boundaries and urged AU and TCCs to continue the consultations which outcome will be reflected in the review of the CONOPS. In the meantime, the meeting urged AU in coordination with TCCs and other AU member states to generate qualified and experienced staff officers for the establishment of multinational Sector Headquarters.

The MOCC encouraged the AU in coordination with the TCCs/PCCs and other stakeholders to start the CONPOS review process immediately to be completed by 31 October 2018.

Caasimada Online
Nairobi News Desk
Caasimada@live.com