ATMIS Completes Transfer of Forward Operating Bases to Somali Forces

ADF STAFF

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has successfully handed over six forward operating bases (FOBs) to Somali security forces, as it concluded the first phase of withdrawing 2,000 troops from the country at the end of June.

The six FOBs are Xaaji Cali, Miirtugo, Cadale, Albao, Gherille and Aljazeera 1. Another one, Marka Ayub, was closed. In the second phase, 3,000 more troops are expected to withdraw by the end of September. ATMIS has until December 2024 to hand over full security responsibilities to Somalia.

The most pressing security challenge in Somalia is the fight against al-Shabaab, the brutal terrorist group known for indiscriminately attacking security forces and civilians.

The last two FOBS handed over were Al-Jazeera 1, just outside Mogadishu, which was the responsibility of ATMIS Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and Gherille, near the Kenyan border in Jubaland State, which was under the responsibility of ATMIS Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

ATMIS Uganda contingent commander, Brig. Gen. Peter Omola, handed over Al-Jazeera 1, which was a training camp, to Col. Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, advisor to the Somalia National Army’s (SNA) chief of defense forces.

Omola said the Ugandan forces conducted several courses on explosive ordinance disposal, or EOD, counter-improvised explosive device, or C-IED, and route search training.

Hassan lauded the African Union and UPDF for their efforts to restore security in Somalia.

“We are honored for the time ATMIS and its predecessor, AMISOM, took responsibility for the security of these FOBs, particularly Al-Jazeera 1,” Hassan said in an ATMIS media release.

In Gherille, ATMIS commander of the FOB, Maj. Terence Shitanda Soita, handed over the base to the Jubaland Security Forces (JSF) commander of the FOB, Lt. Col. Salan Afey.

Lt. Col. Andrew Kamau Nganga, commander of the ATMIS KDF Battalion based in Burahache, in Somalia’s Gedo region, described the handover as historic and praised the SSF for their cooperation.

“We will still continue to work closely with the incoming commander and his team to support them to establish themselves,” Nganga said in an ATMIS media release.

Col. Noor Abdi Hussein, deputy commander of the JSF in the Gedo region, thanked the ATMIS KDF troops for their support.

“One of the biggest sacrifices someone can make is to shed his blood for you and that is exactly what KDF have done for Somalia,” Hussein said. “Kenya is like our right hand. They have been very supportive.”

Some observers fear that the ATMIS drawdown will embolden al-Shabaab. Days after the transfer of the Gherille FOB, al-Shabaab attacked the base. SNA troops thwarted the raid after a fierce gunfight, according to Somali news website garoweonline.com.

ATMIS head Mohamed El-Amine Souef pledged in early July that the troops’ drawdown will not compromise security.

“As part of efforts to support Somali Security Forces and ensure continuity and sustainability of the FOBs that have been handed over, UNSOS (the United Nations Support Office in Somalia) offered some equipment that were stationed at the FOBs,” Souef said at a news conference. “It is our belief that the gifted equipment will achieve their purpose.”

Also in early July, Kenyan President William Ruto vowed that Kenyan forces will remain in Somalia past the ATMIS drawdown deadline.

“Because of the drawdown of troops, al-Shabaab is trying to create the impression that it will take over the region,” Ruto told France 24. “We will not allow this to happen. … Al-Shabaab is not going to reverse the gains we’ve made for a couple of years.”