Burundi starts to withdraw 1000 soldiers from Somalia

An official in Burundi says the withdrawal of 1,000 Burundian soldiers from the African Union regional force in Somalia has begun.

The military official in Burundi, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, said Thursday that about 200 soldiers boarded a flight from Somalia to Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, in the afternoon.

More soldiers are expected to be flown back from Burundi in the coming weeks.

The African Union says it plans to withdraw the 21,500 troops that it has in Somalia by the end of 2020. The AU force, made up of soldiers from several African countries, has for years tried to secure the Horn of Africa country against the Islamic extremist rebels of al-Shabab.

Last December, the African Union’s Peace Support Operations Division directed that the planned drawdown of a further 1,000 soldiers come exclusively from the Burundian contingent.
The withdrawal, first directed by the United Nations Security Council in 2017 and scheduled for February 28, has however been opposed by Burundi.

The Somali government is also uncomfortable with the planned phased drawdown arguing that its army is not ready to take charge of the country’s security.

President Pierre Nkurunziza has called for the African Union to urgently convene a meeting of the countries contributing troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to review the decision to withdraw its soldiers. after a closed-door meeting with President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” of Somalia at State House Bujumbura on last Tuesday.

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