Amisom to withdraw from Somalia in two years

African Union peacekeepers will withdraw from Somalia in two years according to a road map contained in the latest daily updates by Amisom Daily Media Monitoring. 

The African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) would end the intervention in Somalia in 2016, according to the latest assessment by stakeholders.

African Union Acting Special Envoy to Somalia Lydia Wanyoto and Somalia ambassador to Uganda Sheik Sayid Ahmed Dahir say the road map will be adhered to. They expect that by that time the federal government will have the capacity to independently run the affairs of the war-torn state.

Ahmed said Somalia is on the right path and thanked regional governments, especially Uganda for ensuring the conflict is subdued.

The Kenya Defence Forces contribute a substantial number of troops to Amisom. Other nations are Uganda, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia. Meanwhile, Amisom and the Federal Government of Somalia have concluded a three-day conference to educate the Somalia civil society on the role they can play in the implementation of the country's Vision 2016.

Somalia has no functional civil society since the collapse of the central government. In the recent past, due to improved security attributed to the Somali National Army (SNA) supported by Amisom, there are functioning institutions.

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''The objective of the conference was to identify the role of civil society in supporting inclusive political dialogue and initiation of
processes of social reconciliation, to restore trust between communities through review,'' Amisom reported.

Amisom said this would help identify the role of civil society towards the finalisation and adaptation of a federal constitution by December 2015 and to identify how civil society can participate in the processes leading to elections by 2016.

The conference gave the civil society an opportunity to create awareness among themselves on recent political developments in Somalia. It was presided over Labor and Social Affairs Minister Luqman Mohamed and was attended by 58 participants including, six members of Parliament.

"I can assure you that the Federal Government of Somalia is willing to work with all civil society groups to move the country forward. The efforts of the Government should be complemented by the civil society," he said.