ATMIS hands over captured weapons to Somalia authorities

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has handed over weapons captured during operations against Al-Shabaab to the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS).

The weapons included machine guns, rifles, and several rounds of ammunition recovered by ATMIS forces and the Somali National Army (SNA) in the Lower Shabelle region.

The Deputy Head of ATMIS, Ms. Fiona Lortan, on Saturday handed over the weapons to the SNA Commander of Land Forces, Gen. Mohamed Tahlil Bihi, at a function in Mogadishu.

Ms. Lortan noted that the handover complied with the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) protocol, which outlines procedures for the storage and management of weapons.

Under the procedures, all seized weapons are recorded, photographed, and inspected before their destruction or redistribution.

“The Federal Government of Somalia and ATMIS shall document and register all weapons and military equipment captured during offensives or in the course of carrying out their mandate,” Ms. Lortan noted.

She noted that the seizure of the weapons and the handover are significant achievements in efforts to degrade the Al-Shabaab.

The ATMIS Deputy Force Commander in charge of Operations and Plans, Maj. Gen. William Kitsao Shume, commended ATMIS forces and the SNA for their steadfastness.

“Today, we hand over weapons captured by Sector 1, and I want to appreciate efforts to implement the ATMIS mandate. It is a sacrifice by all our contributing troops and not in vain,” said Maj. Gen. Shume.

The Commander of ATMIS Uganda contingent, Brig. Gen. Keith Katungi, said the recovery of weapons from Al-Shabaab aims to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

“This exercise shows the achievement of our (objective) to degrade and deny Al-Shabaab freedom of action and freedom of movement,” added Brig. Gen. Katungi.

On his part, Gen. Mohamed hailed the cooperation between ATMIS and SNA in efforts to restore peace and stability, ahead of the anticipated transfer of security responsibilities to Somali security forces.

“Our collaboration weakens the enemy and encourages our forces – both ATMIS and Somali Security Forces,” said Gen. Mohamed after receiving the cache of weapons.