Somalia has more than 20,000 pro-government fighters operating in the five federal member states. The statistic is part of the key findings contained in the Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) report handed over to the federal Minister of Internal Security, Mohamed Abukar Islow, by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira.
According to the report, the fighters who are members of various regional forces or clan-based militias, have played a major role in fight against Al-Shabaab and other armed opposition groups in the Federal Member States.
In places like South West and Jubbaland States, the 60-page document details that the forces have fought alongside the Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops to dislodge Al-Shabaab in various regions and protect communities. “What we now need is to see how best we can use the regional forces in the implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan,” Ambassador Madeira said at meeting held in the Somali capital, today.
The SRCC noted it was important that the withdrawal of AMISOM troops, as authorized by the UN Security Council, is done in a manner that does not compromise the gains already made in the country. “The implementation of the transition plan is strongly linked to the need to gradually handover security responsibility to the Somali National Security Forces in a way that protects the gains made in securing the country,” Ambassador Madeira noted.
