UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council voted unanimously for a new African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, where Al-Shabaab insurgents have been seeking to overthrow the fragile government for more than a decade.
Under the approved resolution, the new mission is projected to gradually decrease staffing levels from nearly 20,000 soldiers, police and civilians to zero by the end of 2024.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) will work to enable Somali forces to take responsibility for security, replacing the current AMISOM mission, whose mandate was set to expire Thursday.
The United Arab Emirates, which holds the UN Security Council’s rotating presidency this month, announced the resolution’s adoption, noting that it was the fruit of “several months of constructive exchanges.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this month endorsed a continuation of the mission, and recommended that force reduction proceed in four phases, beginning after the end of the year.
The adopted resolution includes that framework, but endorses the drawdown of 2,000 personnel this year.
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