Burundi Threatens to Withdraw All Its Troops From Somalia

Burundi lawmakers backed the government’s threat to withdraw all the nation’s troops serving under an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, saying a reduced contingent would endanger the remaining soldiers.

The AU, following a plan to gradually remove foreign soldiers from Somalia as it builds its own army after decades of civil war, asked Burundi to withdraw 1,000 of its 5,400 troops. Burundi in December proposed to pull out 341 troops and asked that other nations contributing troops to the mission known as Amisom, withdraw the rest.

A smaller contingent would be ineffective in fighting al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, Burundi’s Senate Chairman Reverien Ndikuriyo said Thursday. Removing that many soldiers would endanger the remaining Burundian contingent, he said.

Amisom’s mode of operation assigns each country to cover specific areas, with Burundian troops in charge of the Middle Shabelle region.

While the militants seemed to be in retreat, they recently stepped up attacks in Somalia, and last month claimed responsibility for a raid on an office and hotel complex in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that left at least 21 people dead.

Burundi is the second-largest contributor of troops after Uganda, which has 6,200 soldiers in the mission, according to Amisom. Other contributing countries include Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya.

All contributing-nations agreed to a gradual withdrawal of troops until 2021 when Amisom is supposed to handover to the Somali army, Burundian Defense Minister Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye told lawmakers Thursday.“This is not what is being done by the AU Peace and Security Commission,” he said.