African Union Transmission Mission (ATMIS) has planned a gradual withdrawal of troops from Somalia, raising concerns over the cross-border activities of the al Shabaab.
Speaking on Citizen TV daybreak show on Wednesday, security analyst George Musamali said that the KDF’s main mission initiated 12 years ago has not yet been achieved.
“If you look at the situation in Somalia, there is a disjointed community that has not achieved much in terms of security and we are leaving Somalia in a bad situation just like the Americans left Afghanistan and Vietnam,” Musamali said.
He said that staying behind would make Somalia more dependent and urged the Somali government to advocate their own internal security issues.
”We need to give Somalia a chance to sort out their own issues. Time has come for us now to get out and see how they will deal with their internal issues,” he added.
“I emphasize the need to lift the arms embargo on Somali for self-defense against al Shabaab.”
Edgar Githua, an International Affairs analyst emphasized the nature of Kenya’s borders with Somalia and the potential security gaps following the troop’s withdrawal.
“We share a huge border with Somalia and I would say we have achieved quite a bit in keeping them at bay,” Githua said.
“al Shabaab has already released propaganda videos saying that they are aware forces will leave one day and they know the weaknesses that plague the communities,” he added.
Defence CS Aden Duale on October 4 said that Kenya Defence Forces troops serving under ATMIS will leave the country in four phases.
Duale said the departure of the troops will largely depend on the success rate of the peace-keeping mission in Somalia.
He said that there are no Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia, but there are KDF officers serving under ATMIS through the African Union Peace and Security Council with the approval of the United Nations Security Council.
“So the decision for Kenyan troops to exit Somalia depends on several factors including the progress of ATMIS mandate and prevailing security and political conditions in Somalia,” Duale told the Senate.
