MOGADISHU, Somalia – The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) is stepping up efforts to work closely with the Somali National Army (SNA). Their mission? To tackle the Al-Shabaab militants who’ve recently made some troubling advances.
The Al-Shabaab group has snagged some key locations, including Moqokori, Adan Yabaal, and Mahas. Yet, they took a hit in Barire, losing a hefty number of fighters while giving up control.
Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, had a pow-wow with the AUSSOM, aiming to fine-tune cooperation and speed up military actions against these troublemakers. This fresh strategy is all about taking the fight to them.
The get-together featured bigwigs like General Odowaa Yusuf Rage and AUSSOM’s chief honcho Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene. They chewed over ways to roll out Somalia’s security blueprint and ramp up maneuvers against the al-Qaeda-affiliated mischief-makers across different zones.
Fiqi tipped his hat to AUSSOM, acknowledging their crucial backing amidst Somalia’s financial and political pickle, which has given Al-Shabaab some leverage on battlefields. The insurgents are bent on toppling the government.
Ambassador Diene, fresh on the scene, vowed that the mission would “ramp up the campaign against Al-Shabaab and boot them out of Somalia entirely.” AUSSOM throws roughly 11,000 troops into the mix in Somalia.
The win in Barire highlights the clout of international alliances in steadying Somalia, Diene remarked, asserting that the African Union will forge a solid front with the Somali National Army to root out the violent extremists.
Despite still holding some critical territories in central and southern Somalia, the Al-Shabaab militant presence has been shrinking since 2022. Yet, Somalia wrestles with internal political squabbles, casting a shadow over stability, even as global partners strive to set the nation on a steady course.
AXADLETM
