Atmis exit now spreads burden of fighting Shabaab to neighbours
Atmis Force Commander Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding shakes hands with Commander of the US Army Special Operations Command and Rear Admiral Jamie Sands at Atmis force headquarters in the Somali capital, Mogadishu on Jube 14, 2023. PHOTO | ATMIS
The continued withdrawal of troops under the African Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) could spread the burden of countering violent extremism to the region, making it an eastern African problem.
And that may signal both success and new challenges for a region that had tried to put out the Al Shabaab problem at the source. As per the scheduled drawdown, Atmis is expected to be fully out of Somalia by end of 2024, leaving the obligation to guard installations and the people to Somali security forces.
