NAIROBI, Kenya – Britain has approved Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] “cautious” exit strategy from Somalia, a country that has fought to spread violent extremism and argued that the withdrawal will depend on the stability of the Horn of Africa.
Both Britain and Kenya are key security stakeholders in Somalia and have helped the country stabilize the following decades of conflict, which has significantly affected operations across the country. While the UK has a training base in Baidoa, KDF has several forward-looking bases in Jubaland.
The caution from London comes at a time when British and Kenyan troops have begun joint training during a newly established military partnership agreed earlier this year, the nation reported. Deputy British High Commissioner Julius Court said Britain was closely monitoring the situation in Somalia.
Like Kenya, Britain has remained cold over the timelines for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Somalia with the 2021 deadline fast approaching. The foreign troops are expected to leave Somalia next year under the Somali transition plan [STP].
“The United Kingdom continues to monitor the situation in Somalia. Our concern is that the country must achieve stability, ”said the court at the KDF School of Infantry [SOI] in Isiolo, which has traditionally hosted the royal forces in Kenya since 1963, when Nairobi gained independence.
Top KDF officials and the broadcaster witnessed Wednesday witnessed joint military exercises at Archer’s Post and SOI training facilities in Samburu and Isiolo counties. More than 600 KDF staff participate in the training before being sent to the Africa Union Mission in Somalia [Amisom].
Currently, Kenya has close to 3,500 soldiers serving under AMISOM in Somalia and is mainly based in Jubaland under Sector II and VI. The troops were first deployed in 2011 during Operation Linda Nchi before being absorbed by AMISOM a year later.
Kenya and other countries contributing troops to Amisom are expected to leave Somalia by December 2021. This is based on UN Security Council Resolution 2472 of 31 May 2019, but Nairobi is a bit cautious due to persistent Al-Shabaab threat across the border . and inside Kenya.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has constantly steered away from the issue of when KDF will leave Somalia, saying it depends on the country’s stability. In an interview with France 24, Uhuru, while ruling out timely withdrawal, also said that the militants have been significantly degraded following ongoing security operations in Somalia.
KDF officials have praised the joint training and said the newly acquired skill sets will be a game changer in the war on terror. “This is, of course, a game changer and an opportunity to improve the gaps we have previously identified during our mission.
This will improve our military capability and also reduce the number of casualties, ”said KDF School of Infantry Commander Brigadier Joakim Mwamburi.
Britain is ready to redeploy its troops back to Kenya in January to continue its training program under the British Army Training Unit in Kenya [Batuk].
The device-based Nanyuki had been recalled to the UK earlier in March following the Covid-19 eruption. “Some of the staff are already back … we are ready to resume training with our Kenya Defense Forces partners,” Mr Court said on Wednesday.
According to Brigadier General Mark Thornhill, defense adviser to the British High Commission, training on the Batuk in Nanyuki will officially resume in January, when troops are expected to enter the country.
Since March, the Somali National Army has [SNA], AMISOM troops and the US African Command have intensified attacks on al-Shabaab militants in central and southern Somalia. Several top commanders have been killed along with dozens of other militants arrested by security forces in the country.
Despite the significant gains, the US-African Command recently said in a statement that Al-Shabaab remains a “dangerous terrorist group in East Africa”. The United States has nearly 500 employees in Somalia and has already indicated that the troops may stay until 2027.
AXADLETM
