Somali President calls for Amisom reinforcement to secure August polls

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for urgent deployment of enhanced combative force to crash the militant group Al-Shabaab to ensure the forthcoming elections are secured from any attacks.

The president said the threat of Al-Shabaab must be dealt with conclusively noting the delay to deploy enhanced capacity for Amisom was hindering the war against Al-Shabaab.

“We must destroy the capacity of Al-Shabaab and for this to happen; we need to have the force enablers and multipliers deployed as a matter of urgency. The delivery of these has been pending for a long time now and it is a very critical element of the fight against Al-Shabaab,” President Mohamud said.

Amisom-SNA coordination

President Mohamud also asked for enhanced coordination between AMISOM and Somali National Security Institutions, for better execution of security operations.

The president spoke while receiving the new Amisom force commander Lt. General Osman Noor Soubagleh in Mogadishu. Gen Soubagle is taking over from outgoing force Commander Lt. General Jonathan Rono from Kenya.

Troops and police contributing countries February called on the UN to expedite the finalization of Letters of Assist to allow the deployment of operational enablers and force multipliers including helicopters from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

Amisom boss

Amisom chief Francisco Madeira expressed confidence in the Force Commander’s ability to effectively lead security operations.

“General Soubagleh has worked with AMISOM before; he has extensive knowledge of the Somali culture, the language and more so, of his mandate here. He will use his experience to guide AMISOM operations, with the guidance and support of your government, towards peace and stability of the country,” noted Ambassador Madeira.

General Soubagleh is taking the reins of leading the Amisom forces at a crucial time Somalia is preparing for elections slated for August this year.