What does AMISOM have in store for Somalia? Troop exit???

[axmad gurey]

AU Hails Somalia Milestone; Donor Conference Planned

By Peter Heinlein

Addis Ababa

23 March 2009

 

 

Africa Union peacekeepers man the entrance to the presidential palace in the embattled Somalia capital Mogadishu, 23 Feb 2009

Africa Union peacekeepers man entrance to the presidential palace in the embattled Somalia capital Mogadishu, 23 Feb 2009

 

The African Union's peacekeeping force in Somalia hasreached 50 percent of the authorized strength for the first time, with more reinforcements expected soon.

 

Senior AU officials are hailing the arrival of the 4,000th peacekeeper in Somalia. The African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM has an authorized strength of 8,000, but has been operating with only 3,500 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers.

 

A bomb attack that killed 11 Burundian soldiers last month had prompted speculation the troops might be withdrawn. But AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra says the opposite is true. He says negotiations are underway with Rwanda and other troop contributing countries to bring the force up to nearly full strength soon.

 

"As we speak we are deploying a battalion from Uganda that brings the total strength of AMISOM to 50 percent, for the first time we are above 4,000 so this is quite an achievement ... This is already symbolically very important despite the terrorist acts directed against AMISOM," he said. "The agenda of the day is to strengthen AMISOM not the other way around."

 

Lamamra expressed annoyance at news reports that Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed is under pressure to order the AMISOM troops home. Speaking on the sidelines of an AU consultative meeting on Somalia, the commissioner said such information is motivated by either ignorance or bad faith.

 

"Those statements are basically prompted either by genuine ignorance of what the AMISOM role is or by some pre-judged hostile position toward every friendly force that is likely to be there to make sure that Somalia is actually coming out of its crisis and moving forward to reconstitute its government institutions," he said. "So I would not be worried by the statements either way."

 

...continued

 

http://www.voanews.c om/english/2009-03-2 3-voa47.cfm

[General Duke]

So why the double talk. The President was in Rawanda, Uganda and Burundi only last week.

 

Strange way of acting.

[Kashafa]

So why the double talk.

That's what happens when somebody is suffering from Cognitive Dissonance.

 

The President was in Rawanda, Uganda and Burundi only last week

Of course, he was begging for more troops. Ask Xiin, he has the inside scoop.

Strange way of acting

It's only strange if you're not familiar with the peaceniks and their Is-Qancis mentality.