The African Union once again pledged to send more troops to Somalia adding onto the 4,300 force in Mogadishu. For the last two years African countries except for Uganda and Burundi have been silent despite pledging to contribute troops for the peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Whether the countries will finally meet the pledge reiterated at the AU summit that ended at the weekend in Sirte Libya is what will be awaited. But more important the leaders agreed to amend the current AMISOM mandate that prevents peacekeepers from attacking the insurgents except for in self-defence.
Under the new mandate which is yet to be fully explained, the AU troops will be allowed to “fight along government soldiers” according to Somalia’s Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.
The question is will this new mandate AU troops more of targets by Al Shabab? And will this mandate further complicate the situation in Somalia?
And are African countries prepared to pay the price – both in money and life- as the new mandate comes into force?
Published by Rosebell's Blog
Bushenyi roots.
editor, public speaker, feminist writer, award-winning blogger and socio-political analyst. Words seen in international media like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Quartz and Mundo Negro. Expertise in new media, social justice, migration, gender, peace and security issues. Was honored with the 2018 Anna Guèye Award for her work on digital democracy, justice and equality by Africtivistes. She is the co-editor of a book: Challenging Patriarchy: The Role of Patriarchy in the Roll-Back of Democracy. Rosebell has expertise in human rights, gender, peace and conflict issues. Rosebell was recently recognized by Avance Media as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa for 2021 edition.
I studied Mass Communication at Makerere University, short courses on Non-violent conflict at Tufts University, Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and MA in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the University for Peace. Outside Uganda, I have lived in Costa Rica, Switzerland and a bit in Ethiopia.
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