New AMISOM Deputy Force Commander Assumes Office

New deputy force Commander of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has today assumed his role following a ceremony held in Mogadishu.

Lt General James Nakibus Lakara officially took office as the new AMISOM Deputy Force Commander (DFC) in charge of Operations and Plans.

According to a statement by the Mission, Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai who has completed his one year tour of duty has handed over the office to his successor, Lt. Gen. Lakara from Uganda.

The out-going Deputy Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Gituai gave an overview of the progress and challenges in the ongoing transition process.

He cited the AU/UN joint review, the Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) of the Somali National Security Forces (SNSF), the new Concept of Operations (CONOPS) document and the joint military operations against al-Shabaab militants as some of the progress made in the past one year.

“This Mission is at a very critical stage as we will be implementing CONOPS, the Somali Transition Plan (STP) and Resolution 2431 of the UN, which are very specific on the objectives for the military,” the outgoing DFC said.

Lt. Gen. Lakara thanked his predecessor for his contributions and reiterated his commitment to ensuring the AU Mission achieves its mandate.

“I bring to this mission my passion, my Pan-Africanism, my commitment, hard work, and my experience,” Lt. Lakara noted.

The UN Resolution 2431, adopted last year, mandated AMISOM to set out strategic objectives to enable the gradual handover of security responsibility to Somali security forces by December 2021.