By Ezaruku Draku Franklin

UPDF soldiers serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia detonate an improvised device in Jaale in Somalia. Photo/Ezaruku Draku Franklin

As the drawdown of the Africa Union Transition Mission in Somalia gets closer and closer every day, fears are rife in the country that the withdrawal of the foreign troops will create a vacuum, which the Al-Shabab terrorist could exploit and wreak havoc on the local population, with calls now rife among the local communities to halt the process of the planned draw down.

Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, in a recent interview said all parties including the Somali people were consulted before the drawdown timeline and work is going according to plan. He however said Al-Shabab is unpredictable and can swiftly move in and take advantage of the drawdown to cause more trouble.

He asked for alertness and vigilance at all times and that the international community should not abandon Somalia even when the drawdown is being carried out. Below is the excerpt from the interview

Q: What is your take on the position of Atomist in Somalia?

If you recall, Somalia used to be a very strong and powerful country and played an important role in Africa and around the world until the state collapse in 1991. So then the country went through a civil war. Many people have been displaced inside of the country. Many became refugees in neighboring countries. Some of them went to western countries, and many attempts were made to reconcile the population. Many events took place in neighboring countries and at one point after a process of reconciliation the government was established in Nairobi and the diplomatic mission accredited to Somalia were in Nairobi and even the UN mission was in Nairobi. There were two attempts to bring peace and security in Somalia by the international community and then later on, I think in 2005, under Ethiopia’s agreement with the government, they tried also, but this didn’t work. The African Union with the support of other regional organizations such as IGAD decided to establish AMISOM and deploy AMISOM here in 2007. The first contingent that came here was Uganda and followed by Burundi and later on other Troop Contributing Countries like Kenya, like Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. So they fought for almost two years in order to liberate Mogadishu and some of the remote areas. Mogadishu has been liberated and then some of the major capitals in the federal member state and the government of Somalia moved from Nairobi to the country, some point in Jowhar, in Baidoa and here in Mogadishu. You have a major international partners, including the diplomatic mission and the UN, two UN missions here plus the UN country team. ATMIS, which used to be AMISOM, was in Nairobi and today it is here in Mongadishu and has the HQ. So coming back to your question, AMISOM, as I mentioned, has been established in 2007 and April 2022, ATMIS was created. It is a transition mission up to December 2024. So then the mission will be able to transfer all security responsibility to the federal government of Somalia and exit. And we hope that the exit will be done smoothly and orderly.

Q: We’ve been on the ground and we’ve seen the number of dynamics that keep on changing. So is the position still static that we shall exit Somalia by December 2024?

Well, people they say where there is a will there is a way. I think the will is there, the good thing is that we can observe that there is an ownership and the political will of the government of Somalia. So the Somalis, they want to take their responsibilities and play important role for their security. And we know that the threat and the insecurity became a global phenomenon everywhere, including developed country. The Somalis, after 16 years or 17 years of being assisted by neighboring countries under the umbrella of AMISOM and ATMIS, they say that today they are able to take over their responsibility. I know that many challenges are there, but there was some consultation between the neighboring countries, the EGAD, the African Union and the government of Somalia. So the Somalis took ownership and there is a roadmap that had been designed and there are a couple of phases. Phase one is to draw down 2000 and phase two will have 3000 troops drawn down. So this phase one took place with a six-month delay, but it took place in June this year. Out of the 19,000, already 2,000 have gone and exited from this mission. In September, the government submitted a request for a delay, a technical pause of three months, but the work is still ongoing and commitment is still there and we established a tripartite technical committee to handle this issue of the drawdown. We identify the FOBs, those military base to be handed over to the federal government of Somalia and we hope that by December, those 2,000, will leave the country smoothly.

Q: The locals in the area actually expressed fear and most of them were of the view that if this withdrawal continues, then they will want to flee away from the country. Are those who are pushing for the withdrawal in touch with the people on the ground?

You know, in each country, security is the responsibility of everybody, not only the government, not only the military or the police. When citizens feel that there is something that goes wrong in his vicinity or locality, he has to report to the authority, which means that those people are indeed concerned. But recently, there was a joint technical assessment that has been conducted by the government of Somalia with the support of international partners, so whatever decision has been taken or will be taken will be taken based on that assessment. People don’t work based on rumours that this may happen or we hear that Al Shabab representative was in our vicinity, so we work with a lot of professionalism. We rely on the intelligence of the TCC, the government, the SNA or FSS, so they are working with other international partners. Every day here in the mission we have a meeting that is attended by our representatives in the remote area of the country, but also the representatives of the FSS and the international partners who are here to assist the Somali peace. So I think indeed we can understand their fears, but the international community including the Security Council that adopted this resolution know how things happen and how it should be, those issues related to Al shabaab and the terrorism should be addressed. We know that in peaceful countries, developed country, many incidents can occur in such countries. You might see someone just get in the school and start shooting, go to a market and just starts shooting. Those countries who are supporting Somalia, some of them they have been affected including Kenya for example or including Uganda. Sometimes those incidents happen so I think we are working closely and the commitment is there to support and Somalia will not be left alone. Even if the exit happened, the neighboring country will have an eye and watch what is going on in Somalia.

Q: What are the achievements of AMISOM, as we shift from AMISOM transition into ATMIS, and can you explain for us the key achievements?

The biggest achievement is that we have to commend the work that has been done by AMISOM for the last 15 or 16 years. They liberated many areas where we have FOBs that have been established in those localities. Those populations feel that they are protected by the international troops, the international community through the UN, or UN countries. They are conducting many activities, some of them related to the humanitarian, some of them related to political that means if there is a big achievement, it is to hold the gain of AMISOM. On top of that, the political side, you know that recently in Baidoa, I think that was in February, the stakeholders, political leaders, former member of cabinet and the government and some of the MPs, gathered for almost one month and ATMIS was there to give them security and protection while charting a common way forward. As you can observe since you are here, the situation is calm, but unpredictable and recently the Secretary General of the UN was here and he mentioned that the enemies of Somalia are two; the drought and the Al-shabab terrorists. So this means that the situation is unpredictable even climate change. He was talking about drought and today if he comes he will say that the enemies are Al shabab and the floods. Al-Shabab has remained enemies and we have to do whatever we can do that’s why many countries express solidarity with Somalia. So the TCC and PCC will continue according to the resolution 26-28, we’re supposed to get equipment, enablers, so then we will be able to generate QRF. Once you generate so then you can move very fast. So for the last 12 months, unfortunately, we could not get those enablers, but now they are here from Uganda and from Burundi. And we are expecting also from Kenya and Ethiopia, which means that we are very well equipped while we are in the process of reducing the number. But in terms of technology and activity, and at the same time, the Somali forces, they are supposed to generate forces. So once they generate, and this process is still ongoing, they have troops who have been trained in Uganda, some in Ethiopia, some in Eritrea, some by Egypt, Turkey, Emirates, the UK, the US, and all of them are very active on the ground. At the same time, we as ATMIS, we are conducting shaping and clearance operation, which means that Al-Shabaab is under pressure. December, the exit will be done orderly and smoothly because we will be able to neutralise or defeat as much as we can.

Q: Apart from use of force to dislodge and defeat Al-Shabab terrorists, what have you done to change the mindsets of the locals to shun Al-Shabab terrorists and embrace peace?

We are working with a sovereign nation and a sovereign government. The political will is there and the ownership is there, so once you have the ownership, you need to have a partnership. So we are working in partnership with the government of Somalia, either at the federal government level or at the federal member state level, here in Mogadishu or in the remote areas. So there is a political process conducted by the government, the president of Somalia managed to organize what they call NCC, this is national consultative concept, so he brought the president of the federal member state here, and the idea is to have them address all issues, legislative issues, political issues, economic issues, and then from there, with the government, the federal government, and then the parliament could play an important role. Among the things that have been done by the government and then the ATMIS is in support of the stabilization program and national reconciliation program. So we are supporting all those two programs. Some of the areas liberated by the government, need stabilization, for example, in terms of health care, in terms of education, in terms of water, and the government is doing its best, but the international community also is in support. You have AMISOM doing the same to support but also the ATMIS is there to support. We know that here, clans today can be in a fight together against Al-Shabab but tomorrow we find ourselves fighting among the clan, so there should be a social cohesion supporting such an activity. They organized a couple of meetings attended by many scholars and locals here to denounce what the Al Shabab is doing that doesn’t have anything to do with the religion.

Some of those IDPs who are living nearby our FOB, they are getting logistic support, they are getting the protection, they are getting medicine, and I take this opportunity to thank the government of Uganda, to thank the Ministry of Defence for their efforts. They have done to release resources, to give those resources to the troops and the troops share and distribute to the people who are in need, especially during a very critical time like Ramadan. The Ugandan forces for example, with the support of some of the civilian staff, police and military officers, organize to support those people in Ramadan by providing food and that food was useful for them for the entire month of Ramadan. The population will feel that those people who are here, they are not enemies, and they are brothers because we are giving them what they are lacking in terms of protection, what they are lacking in terms of health care, what they are lacking in terms of livelihood.

Q:  There have been concerns on compensation for the dead or the injured soldiers. The injured say the process of compensation is long and tedious. What is ATMIS position? When do I get compensated for either the injury or the death of beloved on? How long does the process take?

We have two types of compensation. We have sometimes what you call collateral damage, where the troops kill someone as they are moving are battling with the terrorists. This is a long process and this can create a kind of uprising. This one normally Ugandan sector commanders use wisdom by calling the affected people and talk to them and settle the issues peacefully without reporting to the mission headquarters to request for funds to settle them. So they find a solution, they give them something where they call, this is a gesture for them to organize the funeral, this is something we commend and we salute and we express our thanks and gratitude because otherwise it could be a big problem.

Number two, in terms of compensation, we have rules and regulations like any peace operation mission or peacekeeping mission. But the process is too long and we, at the mission, we register, we do investigation, we establish a BOI and once, we have, then we’ll proceed. But as you know, this is a hybrid mission because the African Union provide the troops and the police, and then we have the UN provided the logistic support, and then you have funding given by the European Union, the UK and you have other countries, many of them such as South Korea, you have Saudi Arabia, you have the US, you have India, you have China. I mean, all those countries and many other, they contribute to support the mission financially. So now if it comes to this compensation, we do the paperwork and then we expect to get the finance from our donor through a trust fund or other fund. So some of the people have been compensated. It took so long, but it has been done. For the last, I think, $1.6 million have been given up to this year. Some of them are still stranded, and we are looking for the funds to compensate those people.

Q: You said this is a hybrid system that’s why there are delays. Are you suggesting an amendment in the process so that it becomes easier to process compensation for those injured and killed?

Yeah, we know the problem is not the verification itself or the BOI, but the funding. You know, when you have people, even those who are fighting, sometime they spend many months before they get their stipend. The funding is not from the mission or the African Union. We depend on donors and recently, the president of Uganda called for a TCC summit that took place in Kampala on 27 April and some of those issues related to funding have been raised so we have a big gap. So far we are talking about $150million. You understand this is the gap and the African Union is working to mobilize resources so then we can fill that gap. And recently the African Union chairperson took a decision to support, so he released some of the funds to a tune of $5 million and out of that $2 million went to ATMIS, $2 million went to the SADC peace in Mozambique and East African community in DRC and $1 million stands for what is going on in Ethiopia and in Sudan.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge in confronting the monster called Al-Shabab?

The challenge is that the situation is unpredictable. While we are in the process of drawing down, at the same time we are in the offensive and conducting operation with the Somali forces. This mission, as I mentioned, is not like a peacekeeping mission. Because in peacekeeping mission, if you go to any country where you have a peacekeeping mission, you have people who pave the way. For example, if you go to Sudan, where you had the African, you had the UNAMID, which was African Union, UN mission, it was a peacekeeping, but before, there was Amis, and Amis paved the way. And if you go to Central African Republic, it is the same. If you go to Mali, it is the same. They pass the way and then you have peacekeeping. So at the same time here, we have to hold the FOBs which means that we hold the gain of AMISOM, and we have to give support. This I mean now the operation ongoing operation are formally led, but we need to be with them and to give them support. It’s really challenging while we are in the process of drawing down.

Q: As we head towards the drawing down period, what do you think is the solution to Somalia’s problem? Having been here for a number of years and being in charge of Atmiss, what do you think is the solution to Somalia’s solution?

Terrorism is a global threat and whatever happened here or happened in the Sahel or in southern Africa or in Middle East or in Afghanistan, it is a challenge. And this challenge should not be considered as a challenge faced by the Somalis or the whole of Africa. That’s why we keep encouraging the partners from Europe, from America, from Middle East to support. Because the Al-Shabab are very well organized, from Mogadishu they can organize something, a complex attack somewhere in Kampala, somewhere in Tanzania, somewhere in Nairobi and this happened in the past. So this is number one. Number two, the good thing that should be done while we continue to fight against Al-Shabab, the Somalis, ATMIS, and the international partners should not be neglected, which means that we reinforce the dialogue among the Somalis because you know, one of the strengths of this nation and this country, all of them speak the same language. They don’t have to go to speak Italian or speak English and someone to translate. All of them speak the same language and it’s a big country. All of them share the same culture and you don’t say that this is the culture of the East, this is the culture of the North, this is the culture of South, and they share the same culture, the same religion. So it will be easier for whoever wants to support them in terms of social cohesion to as the president and his cabinet, they are willing. They take ownership of this and the political will is there. As I mentioned, in there, where there is a will, there is a way.

Q: First, you talked about the withdrawal process and you talked about the neighboring countries assisting. Now, the question is, how best can African countries spearhead the healing process in Somalia, especially the neighbors?

I think the neighboring countries are playing an important role and they are willing to continue. For example, if you take Eritrea, Eritrea is not part of the ATMIS, and it was not part of the AMISOM, but they continue to support Somalia by training the people. Egypt, they are sharing many things with this country, or any other country, or Turkey, they are sharing many things with this country. So they support through this training and equipping the SNA. The neighboring countries are here. If you go to African Union HQ, you will see a big wall, the names of the people who fell and did sacrifices for this country. They should continue because one thing is very clear, the president of Uganda during the TCC summit mentioned something that we are not in Somalia looking for money. We are not looking for it. We are there for the peace and security of that country, because the peace and security of Somalia is the peace and security of neighboring country and the entire regional community. He mentioned that what our TCC needs is not money, they need to have food, to have guns, and to have medicine so then they can conduct the operation and this is how they intervened in 2007 when they were here. This is number one, and number two, during the drawdown of phase one, some of their soldiers, they remain here, 400 of them, they remain on the cost of their government, the government of Uganda, which means that it’s not a matter of money, but the commitment is there because all of them are committed that if there is peace in this big country, they are sharing borders with many countries, it means that we will be safe and we will be in peace and security. They have the longest coast, not only neighboring country, but in the Indian Ocean. When you come from the Red Sea, Babul Mandip, you come to the Indian Ocean, you go to the channel of Mozambique. Many of the vessels, they are passing by going to Australia, to America. So if Al-Shabaab is active, they come back with the ideology of the pirates, our life will be spoiled. So today, by patrolling, this is a commitment of the TCC and this contributed a lot. So I think the neighboring countries, they should continue in the same way. If tomorrow they exit, but Kenya will continue, Djibouti will continue, Ethiopia will continue as they are sharing border or training.

Q: Lastly, what is the way forward?

Somalia, as I mentioned, played an important role for the stability of the continent, for the security of the continent, for the development of many of our countries, even supported many countries to get their independence, mainly countries in southern Africa. So I think we should continue to support Somalia and the international community should continue to support Somalia. Supporting them, some of them, we mentioned the financial support, but also it’s not enough in terms of equipment, in terms of weapons, in terms of ammunition, because when you are fighting Al-Shabab, they are very well equipped. They collected a lot of money, they know how to collect guns, so the Somalis or the Somali government is facing a problem because the country is under an embargo if it comes to collecting arms. They will be able to collect the needed and require weapons appropriate, heavy artillery and they will be able to fight against Al-Shabab. They cannot fight against Al-Shabab with Kalashnikov. You understand, they need to have something very sophisticated so then they will be able to fight and this need a lot of efforts, not only from the government, but neighboring countries, the international community.

The situation has changed. We are not anymore in 1991. I highlighted that the government has passed many bills, you know, so we are talking about role of law, we are talking about human rights, we are talking about international human rights, international law in this country, which means that they need to get the support and we need to give them trust.