For the second time in nine months, Mogadishu will hold onto departing foreign forces to support its military as it emerges that the African Union mission in Somalia will maintain half of the troops that were expected to drawdown this month, with only 2,000 soldiers (from the earlier 4,000) now set to leave at the end of June, and eight forward operating bases handed over to the Somali National Army.
The move, spearheaded by the Federal Government of Somalia, seeks to slow down the UN-mandated exit plan for the AU peacekeepers, amid growing concerns of a security vacuum and the rising threat of al Shabaab extremists.
