The Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union have agreed on the number of troop-contributing countries for a new AU mission following weeks of differences between Ethiopia and Somalia, and later on between Somalia and Burundi over the number of troops coming from each country…
An AU official, who requested anonymity because he does not have authorization to speak with media, told VOA that Burundian forces who have been in Somalia since 2007 will be leaving the country after the two governments disagreed on the number of troops coming from Burundi.
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, is expected to have 11,900 personnel operating on the ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff, according to Somali and AU officials, The new arrangement allocates 4,500 soldiers to Uganda, 2,500 to Ethiopia, 1,520 to Djibouti, 1,410 to Kenya and 1,091 to Egypt, according to the official.
A second AU diplomat who requested anonymity for the same reasons told VOA that the negotiations about Burundian soldiers in Somalia are still ongoing, “The departure of Burundi would have significant political and financial repercussions for the AU,” the second diplomat said.
Ethiopian troops will be deployed to the same Somali regions where they were stationed over the years — Gedo, Bay, Bakool and Hiran regions. The only new troops joining the mission will come from Egypt, which supported Somalia in Mogadishu’s dispute with Ethiopia, Ethiopia also maintains troops outside the AU mission based on a bilateral agreement. This week’s deal between Ethiopian and Somali officials extends that arrangement.
