27 police officers return to Kenya after successful mission in Somalia
27 police officers have returned to the country after a successful deployment with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
In a statement on X, the National Police Service said the police officers were received by Principal Assistant to the Inspector General of Police, Mathew Kutoh, at Jogoo House, Nairobi, who urged them to rejoin their colleagues in serving Kenyans.
“The police officers are drawn from the Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service, and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), under the contingent commander Dennis Wekesa, SSP,” the statement read in part.
Kutoh encouraged them to apply the skills and knowledge gained from the mission to transform police stations and other service areas into centres of excellence for service delivery.
He noted that no disciplinary cases had been reported during their tour of duty, acknowledging this as a credit to the Police Service and proof that they had been excellent ambassadors for Kenya.
This comes after the Ministry of Defence stated that it will withdraw its last troops in Somalia under the ATMIS by the end of 2024.
The planned withdrawal was confirmed by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to the Senate on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
“The last troops are expected to leave Somalia on 31 December 2024 as per the AU and UN Security Council resolution and plan,” Duale said.
AMISOM
The AU’s Transitional Mission took over from the AU’s Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in April 2022 which began in 2007 as a peacekeeping force in the country, as Somalia and the broader region battled against the al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab.
The mission was also mandated to help protect Somalia’s transitional government, support the country’s electoral process and assist in delivering humanitarian aid.
By mid-2017 the world’s largest peacekeeping operation, the mission helped to push back against al-Shabaab, paving the way for an eventual drawdown.
ATIMIS
Further, the AU renamed the mission ATMIS in April 2022 and while its mandate has been largely the same as its predecessor’s, the mission’s ultimate goal is to conclude operations in Somalia by the end of 2024 and hand over the reins to the Somali government.
However, while al-Shabaab has been forced into retreat in parts of the country and international bodies have lauded the Somali government’s efforts against them, attacks by the Islamist insurgency are still all too frequent and continue to spill over the border into Kenya.
