As part of phase one of the ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) drawdown, seven forward operating bases (FOBs) in Somalia are now Somali-held and maintained.
Aside from FOB handovers, the drawdown saw the withdrawal of 2,000 peacekeeping forces. All of this was accomplished in partnership with the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).
Somali Security Forces (SSF) men now command the seven FOBs – Xaaji Cali, Miirtugo, Cadale, Albao, Gherille, Aljazeera 1, and Marka Ayub.
ATMIS Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) was in charge of Gherille FOB in the Gedo district of Jubaland State, while ATMIS Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) was in charge of Aljazeera outside Mogadishu.
Colonel Bosco Sibondavyi, Chief Logistics Officer of ATMIS, stated that the FOB handovers were a significant milestone in the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan (STP), the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), and UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670 (2022).