Africa Review
Thursday, April 04, 2013
The first peacekeepers from Sierra Leone have arrived in the Somalia capital Mogadishu.
The West African troops become the latest to join
the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) contingent that continues
to stay in the Horn of Africa state recovering from years of civil
strife.
The Sierra Leonean troops were on arrival welcomed
by the African Union’s Special Representative to Somalia, Mr Mohamed
Salah Anadif.
The unit that arrived in Mogadishu Wednesday is an advanced team from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).
Earlier reports released by Amisom Command
indicated the RSLAF battalion would be deployed to southern Somalia
where they would operate alongside peacekeepers from Kenya.
According to the peacekeeping mission, the Sierra
Leonean contingent will enable Kenya to withdraw one battalion from the
sector as per UN Security Council Resolution 2036.
Mr Anadif appreciated the efforts of the West
African nation, saying: “Integration (of the RSLAF battalion) into
Amisom signifies the commitment across Africa to stabilising Somalia.”
He added that their involvement would be invaluable in consolidating security in south - central Somalia.
Joining Djiboutian, Ugandan, Kenyan and Burundian
contingents, the RSLAF will be the fifth party to contribute to the
stabilisation of security in the Horn of Africa country including the
fight against the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab, a fanatical Islamist
movement vehemently opposing the Somali government.