Somalia: Djiboutian Troops Join AMISOM

By Staff Writer

MOGADISHU---The AMISOM Deputy Force Commander Wednesday received the first Djiboutian soldiers joining the African Union Mission in Somalia.

An advance party consisting of 100 troops, led by General Zakaria Sheikh Ibrahim, arrived at Mogadishu airport Wednesday afternoon. A further 800 troops will follow in the course of the next week or so to bring the Djiboutian contingent up to strength.

Somali Prime Minister, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, was there to welcome the Djiboutian forces as they landed at the Mogadishu airport.

Deputy Force Commander of AMISOM, Brigadier-General Audace Nduwumunsi, said: “Today’s initial deployment of the Djiboutian contingent is a great step forward for the AMISOM Force in Mogadishu and for building stability in the country. The nine hundred extra troops will initially be based at Al Jazeera IV as they undergo specific, in theatre training.”

Djibouti is the third country to send troops into Somalia under AMISOM. Uganda and Burundi troops, currently numbering 9800, are in Mogadishu in support of the Somali peace process and the institutions it has generated. In August, they forced the terror group Al Shabaab to withdraw from the capital.