Tuesday August 11, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Ethiopian troops with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) have left Buurhakaba district in the Bay region, transferring a strategically important military base to the Somali National Army.
AUSSOM said Aug. 8 that it had formally handed technical control of the Buurhakaba Forward Operating Base to Somalia’s 60th Division, with logistical assistance from the United Nations Support Office in Somalia.
Ethiopian troops serving with AUSSOM and its predecessor, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), had occupied the base since 2014.
The African Union mission called the handover a further milestone in Somalia’s gradual effort to take charge of its own security, as the government assumes greater responsibility for military operations and key strategic sites.
Buurhakaba holds particular strategic value because it sits in the Bay region on the road connecting Baidoa, the capital of South West State, with Mogadishu. The district has also been central to military campaigns against al-Shabab.
The departure of Ethiopian forces is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Somali military’s ability to secure strategic locations independently after years of foreign deployment, especially as al-Shabab remains active in parts of southern and central Somalia.
The transfer forms part of AUSSOM’s wider plan to progressively shift security duties to Somali forces. However, the mission continues to face major financial and operational pressures, and officials have warned that insufficient funding could constrain its ability to fulfil its mandate.
The handover comes amid ongoing discussions between Somalia and its international partners over AUSSOM’s future and the level of financial and logistical assistance required to maintain operations against al-Shabab.
