Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenyan troops in Somalia will leave the war torn country after they are done with their mission, president William Ruto has said.
“Those troops will come back home as soon as they are done with the assignment they have in Somalia,” he said.
“It has been 15 years and I appreciate that, we have been there with many partners. I think there is light in the horizon with the election of President Hassan Mohamud who I have met twice,” he said.
He said Hassan has a clearer view of where the war on al-Shabaab need to go.
Ruto said they are working with other partners to stabilise the neighbouring country.
He said the instability of Somalia affects Kenya and therefore Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will remain on the ground until they finish their assignment.
He added having in place a functional security arrangement will allow Kenya to pull out its troops from the country and pave way for other engagements on the solutions to challenges affecting both countries.
“The people of Kenya want to do it but they also appreciate that our being in Somalia is not necessarily because of Somalia, it much more because of Kenya,” he said.
Ruto said Kenya’s top priority is to help stabilise Somalia stating that it is in the region’s best interest to ensure Hassan’s government succeeds.
Speaking to France24 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Ruto said Kenya is paying a heavy price for its military intervention in Somalia that continues to bear the brunt of frequent attacks from al-Shabaab militant group.
The Kenyan military is among the forces currently serving under the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) alongside troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Uganda and is tasked with helping Somali forces fight the al-Shabaab which continues to wreak havoc in the region despite progress in degrading it.
Ruto’s remarks come at a time when plans are underway for the troops serving under ATMIS to leave the country by 2024 and transfer all the responsibilities to the Somali forces.
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