The African Union Ambassador to Somalia and head of the ATMIS mission, El-Amine Souef, called on the international community to support the lifting of the arms embargo on Somalia.
The head of ATMIS said that the lifting of the arms embargo in Somalia will help the Somali security forces to be able to take control of the security and fight against Al-Shabaab.
It was two days ago when a delegation from the Security and Peace Council of the African Union concluded a trip to Somalia to assess the security situation ahead of the plan to reduce ATMIS forces at the end of June and September 2023.
Somalia’s Minister of Defense Abd Qadir Mohamed Noor has praised the joint efforts between ATMIS, the United Nations Support Office for Somalia (UNSOS) and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in ensuring the smooth transfer of security responsibilities. Somali security forces.
“The Ministry of Defense was the leader in this process, the handover and takeover is evidence that our security forces in Somalia have shown their ability to take over the security of their country,” said the Minister.
The African Union peacekeeping operation has until 31 December 2024 to withdraw from Somalia.
The Federal Government of Somalia and ATMIS have both confirmed their commitment to facilitate the smooth transfer of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces.