...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) handed over control of the Afgoye military base to the Somali National Army (SNA) as part of plans to ensure the transfer of security responsibility to Somali forces.
Afgoye town was wrested from al-Shabaab
...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all ofwhich have enough problems without them...’s control in May 2012 in a joint operation of AMISOM and the SNA. The town, which is situated along the main supply route to north, west, and south Somalia, had since been secured by AMISOM’s Ugandan troops.
The base was handed over on Wednesday by the AMISOM Deputy Force Commander in charge of Operations and Plans, Maj. Gen. William Kitsao Shume to the Governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Abdulkadir Mohammed Nur Siidi.
Ugandan troops are deployed in an area of Somalia named Sector 1, which comprises the regions of Banadir and Lower Shabelle.
"This is in line with AMISOM mandate, the Somalia Transition Plan, and other strategic documents that envision handing over priority locations as initial stages towards a handing over of security responsibilities to Somali Security Forces," Shume said.
| Since July 2017, six FOBs, including Afgoye, have been handed over to Somali security forces by AMISOM. |
Shume added that AMISOM would hand over other such areas, referred to as forwarding Operating Bases (FOB), in due course.
Siidi, on his part, welcomed the handover describing the move as a chance for Somali security forces to handle greater tasks.
"If we hold our ground and ensure the base is not breached, then we will be able to take over all the other FOBs in the country. We want to stand on our own feet, and to strengthen the capacity of the government," he said.
Since July 2017, six FOBs, including Afgoye, have been handed over to Somali security forces by AMISOM.
AMISOM troops were first deployed in Somalia in March 2007 and have since helped Somali security forces push the Death Eater group out of much of southern Somalia including most major towns and cities.