Ethiopian troops will withdraw from Somalia upon the conclusion of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in December 2024, as confirmed by Somali Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre.
Prime Minister Barre emphasized the government’s duty for maintaining national security during his visit to Baidoa this week, and he gave assurances that al-Shabaab would not be able to take advantage of the circumstance. The post-ATMIS plan that the federal government has prepared will ensure the security of the country in the absence of foreign troops.
“Somali forces have assumed control of security in those areas, and seven thousand ATMIS soldiers have already departed Somalia. Do you know of any locations that al-Shabaab retook following the withdrawal of AMISOM forces? No. He said, “We request the Somali people to have confidence in us; we are in charge of their safety and we won’t allow al-Shabaab to attack them.
The federal government’s decision to withdraw Ethiopian forces has become a contentious issue, as states in Jubbaland and the Southwest oppose it, fearing it will reduce security in their areas.
Following Ethiopia’s contentious deal with Somaliland for access to the Red Sea, which Mogadishu sees as a violation of its sovereignty, relations between Somalia, Ethiopia, and Somaliland have also become tense.
