Daily Nation
Friday, April 05, 2013
The Kenya Defence Forces could pull out more than 1,000 soldiers
from the peacekeeping mission in Somalia after a battalion from Sierra
Leone boosted the number of Amisom troops.
According to a statement from the African Union
Mission in Somalia, a battalion from the Sierra Leone Armed Forces
arrived in the Horn of Africa country on Tuesday and would be posted in
the southern region.
Kenya has maintained a heavy military presence in Somalia since October 2011 when it launched “Operation Linda Nchi”.
Currently, its role is that of pacifying areas it
took from Al-Shabaab including Kismayu, the last stronghold of the
Al-Shabaab militants.
According to UN Security Council Resolution 2036
(2012), a country is allowed to withdraw a number of soldiers, once a
fresh battalion from another country arrives.
Amisom spokesman Eloi Yao said the Sierra Leoneans would operate alongside the Kenyan contingent.
“The Special Representative welcomes the
deployment of the contingent. Their integration into Amisom signifies
the commitment across Africa to stabilise Somalia,” he said in a
statement.