Somalia: What we know about the attack on Burundi contigent

RegionWeek Newsletter Vol VI, Issue #211 | Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Dear Readers

Early on Tuesday morning, the population in the region of Shabelle in Somalia was awoken by huge blasts. According to Reuters, Somalia's al Shabaab group attacked an African Union mission troop camp. The resident said three civilians had died in the crossfire in the town of El Baraf.

"The Mujahideen launched a pre-dawn raid on an ATMIS (African Union Mission) military base in El Baraf, middle Shabelle region," al Shabaab said in a statement claiming 50 lives.

"After a fierce firefight, the Mujahideen managed to overrun the base and are now in complete control of the entire military base."

The local security officials told Radio Mogadishu that two loud explosions hit the ATMIS base manned by the Burundian troops followed by an exchange of gunfire between the troops and the militants, reports Xinhua.

"ATMIS troops of Burundi contingent have repulsed a complex attack by the terror group al-Shabab on an army base in El-Baraf town of Somalia's Hirshabelle State in the early hours of Tuesday," the state-owned radio reported.

There was no comment from the government or ATMIS officials on the latest assault by the extremist group.

In a tweet, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission announced that he spoke to President Evariste Ndayishimiye and paid respect to the sacrifices of Burundian Peacekeepers who lost lives following the terrorist attack.

Moussa Faki Mahamat @AUC_MoussaFaki

I spoke to President @GeneralNeva today to pay my respects for the sacrifice of the @ATMIS_Somalia peacekeepers who lost their lives in the line of duty following a terrorist attack in #Somalia today.They will never be forgotten.We pray for the recovery of their wounded comrades.

African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)

ATMIS replaced the previous AMISOM peacekeeping force when its mandate expired at the end of March. The new mission has the task of helping Somali forces take primary responsibility for security in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.

Through ATMIS, the African Union will realign its mission components and deployments across Somalia to better prepare the Somali Security Forces to take over the security responsibilities of the country by 31 December 2024, as guided by the Somalia Transition Plan. This will be done by prioritizing force generation, mobilization, and integration as well as enhanced operational competence, and logistical support of ATMIS and the Somali Security Forces.

Thanks for reading!

Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com