African Union set for new Al-Shabaab military strategy
More News
- MSF ponders Somali presence after attack-official - Reuters
- Minnesota Somalis rally against suspension of money transfers - FC
- Kenya military reports 3 al-Shabab fighters killed in battle in Somalia - AP
- Too late now for underwear bomber to get a new lawyer, U.S. says - DFP
- Lucky escape for two as car misses explosive - Xinhua
- Let’s stop human trafficking now - The Citizen
- Money must continue to flow to Somalia - StarTribune
- Global food prices remain volatile, new FAO head warns - AFP
- Ethiopian rebels drop call for secession - Daily Nation
- Two revenue officials escape terror attack - Standard
- MAXAMUUD AXMED NUUR: Shaqsiga Sanadka ee Hiiraan Online 2011 - HOL
Africa Review
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Defence ministers and army chiefs of six East African countries are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss the proposed new approach to tackling the Islamist group.
The AU's Peace and Security commissioner Ramaten Lamamra said the consultative meeting would go over the unified plan which had been prepared by experts.
Mr Lamamra said he was however constrained to explain in detail the content of the proposed strategy as it was a classified working document.
Defence ministers and army chiefs from the troop contributing countries - Ethiopia, Djibouti Kenya Burundi, Somalia and Uganda - will take part in the final consultation on the plan.
Sources who participated in the preparation of the document said the military strategy would task each country with different zones with the aim of avoiding contradictions in the military interventions.
Funding hopes
The AU also hopes to get more funding from the United Nations and other Western countries to implement the proposed military plan.
Last month, Kenya, which is is fighting the Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, requested to integrate its armed force with the AU-flagged AMISOM peacekeepers.
Djibouti has also started to deploy some 850 troops to the mission which already has Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers.
Ethiopia also re-entered Somalia with its troops last week capturing the central west Somalia town of Beledweyne .
The AU has demanded a more organised and centrally commanded troop operation in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab is in its weakest position since September 2011 due to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis and internal divisions in its leadership.
But the militant group has said the withdraw of its forces from the capital city Mogadishu is a strategic retreat and vowed to fight any foreigners who invade Somalia.