Addis Ababa (HAN) March 15th, 2014 – The new Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Lt. Gen. Silas Ntigurirwa of Burundi arrived on 29th November last year in the Somalia capital Mogadishu for a familiarization tour. He takes over from Uganda’s Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti who has held the office since May 2012. The Burundi commander comes in at a time when the AMISOM force expects reinforcement, following a resolution by the United Nations Security Council that approved an additional 4,400 troops for the Somalia mission, bringing the numbers to 22,131.
AMISOM FORCE COMMANDER HANDOVER IN SOMALIA
The Somali Federal Army (SNA) backed by the African Union Mission (AMISOM) successfully captured the major highway Al-Shabaab stronghold of Buula-Burde (The cross road of Southern Somalia and Puntland), making it the sixth town this month captured from the Somali terrorist group of Al-Shabaab.
Meanwhile, The commander of African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa said that many Al Shabab militants were planning to pour into Somali capital Mogadishu after they have suffered from severe defeats in all battle grounds in some south-central Somali regions.
Lt. General Ntigurirwa who talked to the media at AMISOM’s main compound in Halane neighbourhood south west of Mogadishu said AMISOM was aware that Al Shabab were planning to secretly enter Mogadishu hopping to re-lunch insurgency in the capital to plunge the city back into instability and bloodshed.
“We are ready to do everything in order to defeat terrorists everywhere in the country, but the assistance from Somali people is more advantageous for our efforts to defeat them” Lt. General Ntigurirwa said in his press conference at Halane compound on Saturday.
He said that the allied Somali government forces and AMISOM peacekeepers have caused major losses on Al-Shabab compelling them to flee from more cities and towns in the country for the past several days.
“Al-Shabab are trying to infiltrate into Mogadishu, we are ready to defeat them—This is my opportunity to call upon the Somali people in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country to inform AMISOM any information about the infiltrating Al-Shabab terrorists, because Somali people need peace and stability for the entire country” AMISOM commander –in-chief Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa told journalists.
The commander’s speech comes less than two weeks after Somali government’s minister for interior affairs and federalism Abdullahi Godah Barre confirmed the rebirth of Al Shabab militants in the capital Mogadishu.
For the past several weeks, the militants have been carrying out car bomb explosions and hit and run night time attacks in some neighbourhoods in the capital Mogadishu.
Source @The National Security Correspondence of HAN &; Geeska Afrika Online in Mogadishu, Somalia Original published part of the news Hiiraan Online
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