Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said that the final unit of Kenyan troops operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), will conclude their withdrawal by December 31, 2024.
Regarding the progress of the Somalia mission, CS Duale attributed the success in promoting regional stability to the African Union Transition Mission.
“There is a semblance of a stable Government in Somalia today. The Somali Government has established and generated enough force and today you see the presence of Somalia at the forefront within Somali National Forces combating terror. That was not the case five or ten years ago,” he said.
Duale, addressing a Senate plenary on Wednesday, assured the end of Al Shabaab in Somalia and the region.
“I want to assure this house that the day for al Shabaab in Somalia and in our region is coming to an end.”
In 2011, Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi, entering Somalia with the objective of countering the al-Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab Islamist group.
The decision was prompted by a series of border attacks and incursions by the militia group along the Kenya-Somalia border, posing a threat to Kenya’s national security and interests.
To sustain the progress achieved by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia, Kenya received invitations from the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) to integrate its troops into the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in November 2011.
The formal integration occurred on February 22, 2012, following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2036 (2012).
