Wednesday -13-March-2024 {HMC} Djiboutian troops serving under the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) withdrew from military bases in Beledweyne town on Tuesday.
The Djiboutian troops had been stationed in these positions for more than ten years, tasked with safeguarding the security of the Hiiraan region, particularly the Beledweyne district.
Although local security agencies refrained from commenting on the ATMIS troop movement, reports suggest that the withdrawal occurred due to a significant presence of armed forces aligned with conflicting administrations—Hirshabelle State and Hiiraan State. These administrations have been in dispute over control of the town.
The withdrawal coincided with a meeting held in Mogadishu on Monday between the representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) and Head of ATMIS, Ambassador Souef Mohamed El-Amine, and the new Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Somalia & Deputy Head of UN Somalia, Mr. Raisedon Zenenga.
Discussions focused on the successful completion of ATMIS troop drawdown phases, plans for upcoming Phase 3, post-ATMIS security arrangements, and engagements with the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union.
Since 2011, Djibouti has been the third country to contribute its forces to AMISOM. Djiboutian officers have primarily been deployed in Beledweyne, where they have conducted training and mentoring of the Somali National Army, as well as security patrols in and around Beledweyne.
