Afran : Somalia: AU calls for more weapons
on 2009/9/21 10:25:20
Afran

20 September 2009

The African Union (AU) has called on the international community to provide more weapons to the Somalia Western-backed government to battle Islamist militants.
somalia refugees
The envoy of the AU to Somalia, Nicolas Bwakira, told reporters on Saturday in Nairobi, Kenya that: "If we go after Al-Shabaab, we'd destroy them in no time." He added that rebels have been trying to oust the UN- recognized government.

The announcement for more weapons follows suicide bombings on Thursday at the headquarters of the AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu which left more than eight peacekeepers dead, including senior officials.

The AU plans to deploy 8,000 peacekeeping troops in Somalia but at the moment there are about 5,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi. Nigeria and Ghana have promised troops already but so far these pledges remain unfulfilled, AfricaNews reporter said.

Since being deployed in Mogadishu, Somalia in 2007, the African Union peacekeeping has lost 34 troops. Somalia has not had an effective government since warlords overthrew Dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

africanews

Previous article - Next article Printer Friendly Page Send this Story to a Friend Create a PDF from the article


Other articles
2023/7/22 16:36:35 - Uncertainty looms as negotiations on the US-Kenya trade agreement proceeds without a timetable
2023/7/22 14:48:23 - 40 More Countries Want to Join BRICS, Says South Africa
2023/7/18 14:25:04 - South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy
2023/7/18 14:17:58 - Too Much Noise Over Russia’s Influence In Africa – OpEd
2023/7/18 12:15:08 - Lagos now most expensive state in Nigeria
2023/7/18 11:43:40 - Nigeria Customs Intercepts Arms, Ammunition From US
2023/7/17 17:07:56 - Minister Eli Cohen: Nairobi visit has regional and strategic importance
2023/7/17 17:01:56 - Ruto Outlines Roadmap for Africa to Rival First World Countries
2023/7/17 16:47:30 - African heads of state arrive in Kenya for key meeting
2023/7/12 16:51:54 - Kenya, Iran sign five MoUs as Ruto rolls out red carpet for Raisi
2023/7/12 16:46:35 - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Gupta Travels to Kenya and Rwanda
2023/7/2 15:57:52 - We Will Protect Water Catchments
2023/7/2 15:53:49 - Kenya records slight improvement in global peace ranking
2023/7/2 14:33:37 - South Sudan, South Africa forge joint efforts for peace in Sudan
2023/7/2 13:08:02 - Tinubu Ready To Assume Leadership Role In Africa
2023/7/2 11:50:34 - CDP ranks Nigeria, others low in zero-emission race
2023/6/19 16:30:00 - South Africa's Ramaphosa tells Putin Ukraine war must end
2023/6/17 16:30:20 - World Bank approves Sh45bn for Kenya Urban Programme
2023/6/17 16:25:47 - Sudan's military govt rejects Kenyan President Ruto as chief peace negotiatorThe Sudanese military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected Kenyan President William Ruto's leadership of the "Troika on Sudan."
2023/6/17 16:21:15 - Kenya Sells Record 2.2m Tonnes of Carbon Credits to Saudi Firms

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.