Fully pacify Somalia as Kenya pulls out troops

For the past 11 years, Kenya has sacrificed a lot to help to stabilise lawless Somalia. It is, of course, also in its own interest to have a stable neighbour. Before Kenyan troops entered Somalia in 2011 in pursuit of Al-Shabaab, the country had suffered several terrorist attacks.

Even before they joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (Unisom), Kenyan soldiers had already driven the terrorists out and secured the port city of Kismayo in a major step in the bid to restore peace in the war-ravaged country.

But it has been a painful decade for both Kenya and Somalia, paid for in blood and the resources expended on the war. Initially, the internationally recognised government in Mogadishu was set up and operated from Nairobi. It would later shift to the Somali capital.

 Thanks to the AU, Kenya and several other countries, there is progress in Somalia. There have been elections and several presidential transitions and the region can now look back with pride at what has been achieved.

Now, there are plans to pull the regional troops out of Somalia. The Somalia National Army (SNA) will have to take greater control of the country. Kenya Defence Forces has done a superb job, helping to train and boost the capacity of the Somali army in military tactics and dealing with explosives.

The Kenyans are a part of the 18,585 AU troops deployed to help put Somalia back on the road to sovereignty. The locals should be ready as the foreign soldiers exit by December 2024. This is what was envisaged by this year’s UN Security Council Resolution 2628.

We could not agree more with the AU Commission to Somalia that pacifying the country is securing the entire Horn of Africa. With frequent terrorist attacks, drought and famine and a broken governance system, Somalia needs help. Besides Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia have deployed troops to the various troubled zones.

With the experience gained from operating inside Somalia, the Kenyan forces should be more capable of policing the long, largely porous border, which should be eased through more robust co-operation with the growing Somali military. A peaceful prosperous Somalia would be a boon to the Horn and also the fast-expanding East African Community.