Rocky start to new AU Somalia mission as Burundi reads ‘disrespect’ in troop count
Djiboutian soldiers serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) convoy during a routine drill in Beletweyne, Somalia on November 23, 2022.
The new African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia has got off to a rocky start, as Burundi, a key troop contributor, said it was considering withdrawing its soldiers due to a dispute over the number it was allocated to contribute to the force, while the presence of archenemies, Egyptian and Ethiopian forces, along with uncertain funding could hinder its effectiveness in combating the militant group Al Shabaab.
Last week, Burundi announced that it would not participate in the latest United Nations Security Council-authorised force, the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom), whose five-year mandate began on January 1,2025.
For the African Union and Somalia, Burundi’s potential exit is an unwanted headache from the least-expected troop-contributing partner in Horn of Africa country’s security, state rebuilding and peacekeeping since 2007.
Burundi, which has used peacekeeping missions in Somalia since 2007 as a crucial stream of foreign exchange that it can ill afford to lose, protested the allocation of only 1,041 troops, compared with about 3,000 it had pitched.
Authorities told The EastAfrican that the dispute had been simmering for months after it became apparent that Somalia was warming up to the Egyptian army, which had offered to deploy a big force in Aussom and another contingent under a bilateral arrangement with Mogadishu.
The EastAfrican has learnt that the new security arrangement in Somalia is fraught with tensions due to the endless tussle between Mogadishu and the troop-contributing countries over the North African giant’s deployment to Aussom, a move designed to eject Ethiopia from the new mission.
Somali authorities grew hostile to Ethiopia after Addis Ababa’s controversial deal with Somaliland for sea access, and want Egyptian forces to replace the Ethiopians, but it is emerging now that Burundi is also being shunted aside from Aussom – a leaner peacekeeping outfit compared to its predecessors.
Ethiopia and Burundi are two of the longest-running troop contributors to peacekeeping missions in the violence-plagued Horn of Africa country, along with Uganda, which had the first boots on the ground in Mogadishu in March 2007, joined later by Kenya and Djibouti.
Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF) spokesperson Brig-Gen Gaspard Baratuza told The EastAfrican that his country had proposed to contribute at least two infantry battalions and two aviation units with a total under 3,000 troops to Aussom.
The design of the new force of 12,626 personnel and the allocation of troop numbers were done by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) in consultation with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).
“BNDF is waiting for official feedback from the AUPSC. We don’t have any idea (when this feedback will come),” Brig-Gen Baratuza said.
Disrespect and ungratefulness
Recently, a senior Burundi diplomat told the Voice of America that the FGS had disrespected Burundi by assigning it an inferior number of troops, which could jeopardise their safety during operations under the new mission. He also described Somalia as ungrateful to Burundians.
“Unless something changes between now and December 31, we will go home,” the diplomat said. “We are not dying to stay. We were disrespected and deserve an apology.”
But it is understood that out of its 3,000 troops deployed in Somalia, Burundi withdrew only 734 on December 30. It was hoping to roll over the remainder to Aussom.
As Gitega awaits the decision of Mogadishu and the AUPSC as to whether it can provide troops for the substantive Aussom mission that starts on July 1 this year, Ethiopia is doing shuttle diplomacy to mollify Somali authorities who want Ethiopian forces expelled from its territory.
On its X handle, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that its Defence minister Aisha Mohammed on Thursday led a high-level delegation to Somalia on a working visit, and that the two countries “agreed to collaborate on the Aussom mission and strengthen bilateral relations.”
The announcement that Somalia may welcome Ethiopian troops triggered vitriol among locals, with Somali national Bare Abdi tweeting: “This is not true. No agreement has been reached on that and Somalia is not ready for ENDF to participate in the new Aussom ... Why are you fixated on this issue which has been long settled?”
Ethiopia’s military maintains heavy deployment of up to 10,000 troops in Somalia, the majority under a bilateral arrangement with Mogadishu, while others are deployed as part of the AU’s peacekeeping missions.
Ethiopia’s archenemy and Somalia’s newfound ally Egypt has proposed an equally strong force of 10,000 uniformed personnel to the Horn of Africa nation under bilateral arrangements with the FGS as well as the AU mission.
With all these disparate arrangements, the UN Security Council last week urged the Somalia government to ensure coordination between Aussom, regional and bilateral security operations in Somalia to maximise coherence and effectiveness, and said Somalia partners should coordinate their support.
Authorised Atmis rollover
Amid delayed design of the new force and the tensions it has generated between Somalia and key troop contributors, the UNSC last month authorised a rollover, with the troops that were deployed under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) to rehat to Aussom until June 30.
In the circulated working draft resolution, the UNSC said the force would deploy up to 12,626 uniformed personnel, inclusive of 1,040 police personnel, to the new mission to support its realignment until June 30 2025, and draw down any Atmis personnel who will not be absorbed into Aussom.
These troops will include 800 uniformed personnel in excess of the mission strength set out in the concept of Operations by this date.
The UNSC also directed that phase 2 of Aussom (July 1, 2025 - December 31, 2027) provides for the securing of the mission’s locations, support to offensive operations, and support to sustainment activity, for which the TCCs will deploy up to 11,826 uniformed personnel, inclusive of 680 police personnel for the first six months from July 1 until December 31, 2025.
Terrorism resurgence
The new mission comes at a time the Al Shabaab and Islamic State (IS) have ramped up terror activity. The IS on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base in Somalia's northeastern region of Puntland, a day earlier, the group posted on its Telegram channel.
In its statement, IS said the attack was conducted by 12 militants and two booby-trapped vehicles, adding that it killed around 22 military personnel from the Puntland forces and injured dozens of others.
On Tuesday, security forces in Somalia said they had repulsed an attack by IS suicide bombers on a military base in Puntland, according to the local state broadcaster and a military official.
Captain Yusuf Mohamed, an officer in Puntland's counter-terrorism forces, told Reuters on Tuesday that nine suicide bombers had been killed and several soldiers had been injured, near the town of Dharjaale in the Bari region.
The group was officially recognised as the Somali province of Islamic State in 2017 and has been based in the mountainous areas of Puntland. For many years, it was considered a minor security threat in the Horn of Africa country compared with Al Shabaab, which controls swathes of southern Somalia.
In recent years, however, the Somali franchise has refashioned itself as an important part of the jihadist group's worldwide network, with its head, Abdulqadir Mumin, being named its global leader by some media outlets.
Security analysts say Islamic State in Somalia has grown in strength because of an influx of
fighters and improved revenue through the extortion of local businesses, becoming the group's "nerve centre" in Africa.
Al Shabab Commander Mohamed Mire was killed in a drone strike near Kunyo Barrow in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle Region by United States military command in Africa, Africom.
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