The African Union (AU)’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) said Wednesday it has requested Somalia to revise the operational timelines of the AU mission mandate.
The PSC, which is the standing decision-making organ of the AU for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts, also requested Somalia to extend the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Phase 1 reconfiguration for the reduction of 2,000 troops from Dec. 31 to June 30, 2023.
The PSC said the extension of the operational timelines was a slight revision of the operational timeline and reconfirmed the commitment to maintain the exit date of Dec.31, 2024, by the ATMIS.
“The PSC requests the AU Commission, working jointly with the UN, Somalia government, and partners, to submit a joint report, no later than Feb.15, 2023, including a technical assessment of progress made and compliance with agreed benchmarks, to guide the PSC on the next steps in the transition plan; while highlighting that the report should cover proposals on the revision of the phases of the CONOPS and the force generation requirements,” it said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The CONOPs provide a framework to guide the implementation of the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces and the eventual exit of AU troops from Somalia.
The ATMIS is tasked to reduce 2,000 troops by the end of December and to exit completely by December 2024.
The PSC in its meeting requested the UN and the UN Security Council to consider additional and predictable funding for the ATMIS, to specifically address the resource implications of the extension of phase 1, and the persistent funding challenges that affect the implementation of the ATMIS mandate.
It said there is an urgent need for the UN Security Council to consider authorizing access to UN-assessed contributions for AU peace support operations including the ATMIS, to guarantee predictable, adequate, and sustainable funding for AU peace support operations. Enditem
