‘Somalia appreciates the work done by Burundi troops’, Somali Ali Mohammed says.

Burundi is the second largest contributing country in AMISOM troops overseeing the implementation of peace and fighting against Al Shabab militants in Somalia, a group which regularly stages attacks on Somali citizens.

Under the UN and African Union decision of drawing down 1000 Burundi troops from Somalia in AMISOM, Somalia had expressed its concern over the ‘gap left by Burundians’ leaving Somalia. 

Burundi protested against this measure saying it as ‘unfair drawdown of troops’, stating that the drawdown should be done fairly from all contributing countries.

In a conversation with Jean Bosco Barege, Ali Mohammed said that Somali people will not forget the endeavors of Burundi troops in Somalia.

It should be noted that Somali president, in his visit in Burundi with his counterpart, Pierre Nkurunziza urged an extraordinary summit over the controversial AMISOM drawdown.

Asked by RegionWeek how Ali Muhammed said about Burundian troops in Somalia, Ambassador Jean Bosco Barege told RegionWeek that Ali Muhammed ‘asked the African Union to support Burundi troops and that there may be a fair drawdown from all Troops contributing countries’.

Ali Muhammed added that there was agreed upon the decision to do the ‘fair drawdown of at least 350 troops from all troops contributing countries’.

Related: Uganda joins Burundi in threatening to quit AMISOM over troops drawdown.

It should be remembered the first contributing country in AMISOM, Uganda recently threatened to pull out all its troops from AMISOM ‘unless the United Nations and the African Union cease the decision of drawing down unfairly AMISOM troops’ from Somalia.