JidbaaleBaidoa (Jidbaale): Somali Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre said that Ethiopian forces would withdraw from Somalia with the conclusion of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in December 2024.
This week, Prime Minister Barre emphasized the government’s duty regarding national security during his visit to Baidoa and pledged that al-Shabab would not abuse the circumstances. The federal government has devised a post-ATMIS strategy to protect national security independently of foreign military forces.
Seven thousand ATMIS personnel have departed Somalia, and Somali forces have assumed control of security in those regions. Are you aware of any locations that al-Shabaab has reclaimed after the withdrawal of AMISOM forces? Negative. Barre said, “We urge the Somali populace to place their trust in us; we are accountable for their security and will not permit al-Shabaab to assault them.”
The evacuation of Ethiopian military has emerged as a divisive matter, with both Southwest and Jubbaland governments opposing the federal government’s decision, apprehensive that it may undermine security in their territories.
The relationship between Somalia and Ethiopia has been tense because to Ethiopia’s contentious arrangement with separatists for access to the Red Sea, which Mogadishu perceives as a violation of its sovereignty.
