ATMIS chief engages diplomats in Nairobi on troop drawdown from Somalia
The meeting comes also a day after the Kenya Defence Force handed over the Old Kismayu Airport.
Head of the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Mohamed El-Amine Souef on Saturday met representatives of the Diplomatic mission in Nairobi.
According to a statement by ATMIS, they discussed the current political and regional dynamics in Somalia and progress made in ATMIS mandate in Phase 1 and 2 drawdowns.
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They also stated that plans for phase 3 were discussed in the meeting with the diplomats.
The diplomats who attended the meeting were from Canada, the European Union, the Horn of Africa, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Japan, Italy, France, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
On Friday, ATMIS revealed that top military commanders have also concluded to map out strategies for final offensive operations against Al Shabab and plan for the next phase of the drawdown of an additional 4,000 troops in June, ahead of ATMIS exit from Somalia.
The meeting comes also a day after the Kenya Defence Force handed over the Old Kismayu Airport under the Front Operation Base(FOB) to the Somalia Security Forces completing phase two drawdown.
ATMIS revealed that Sarille and Old Kismayo Airpot were from ATMIS Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Sector Six and Two, respectively.
The FOBs transferred include State House and Parliament from Uganda People's Defence Forces in Sector One; Bio Cadale, Raga Ceel, and Qorillow from Burundi National Defence Forces in Sector Five; Burahache from KDF in Sector Two; and Old Airport from Ethiopia National Defence Forces in Sector Six.
ATMIS handed over the military bases as part of Phase II of the drawdown of ATMIS forces in the country as per United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2710.
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