Somalia: Kenyan troops officially joined AMISOM [Press release]

The Kenyan troops in Somalia officially joined AMISOM on Saturday. AU’s Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador, Ramtane Lamamra, and Kenya’s Minister of State for Defence, Yusuf Haji, signed the agreement at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Here is the Press release from AMISOM – African Union Mission in Somalia.

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PRESS  RELEASE

Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission of the African Union and the Government of the Republic of  Kenya as Troops and Resources Contributing Country to the African Union Mission in Somalia

Addis Ababa, 2 June 2012: The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Commission of the African Union (AU) and the Government of the Republic of Kenya took place in Addis Ababa , at the AU Headquarters, on Saturday 2 June 2 012.

The MoU was signed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, on behalf of the AU, and by Honorable Mohamed Yusuf Haji, EGH, MP, Minister of State for Defence, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Kenya.

The MoU is the agreement that governs Kenya’s contribution of troops and resources to the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Welcoming the Honorable Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Kenya, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security commended the Government of Kenya for its continued support to the AU and, in particular, for contributing troops and resources to AMISOM. He commended the gallant Kenyan soldiers for their loyalty, dedication and professionalism in Somalia. He also paid tribute to all the soldiers currently engaged in the operations that will lead to the full liberation of Somalia from terrorism and piracy. Commissioner Lamamra also underscored the progress so far achieved in the implementation of the new Strategic Concept for AMISOM operations and United Nations Security Council resolution 2036 (2012) of 22 February 2012, highlighting the outcomes of the London and Istanbul Conferences on Somalia as promising testimony to the ever‐growing support of the international community in favor of a peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous Somalia.

The Honorable Minister of State for Defence of the Republic of Kenya, in turn, welcomed the conclusion of the MoU and reiterated the commitment of his country to the stabilization of Somalia. He stated that the stabilization of Somalia was critical to the collective security of Eastern Africa and the rest of the continent, as well as to international peace and security. He further stated that the Government of the Republic of Kenya was aware of the aspirations of the people of the Republic of Somalia to live in a secure society under a Government elected by themselves and for themselves, adding that AU’s efforts in Somalia would create an enabling environment for the achievement of this objective.

The Commissioner for Peace and Security and the Honourable Minister of State for Defence exchanged views on a range of issues of mutual concern, especially the situation in Somalia and the efforts to achieve lasting peace and security for the people of that country.

Present at the ceremony on the Kenyan side were, among others, Honorable Mohamed Yusuf Haji, EGH, MP, Minister of State for Defence, General Julius Waweru Karangi, EGH, CBS, the Chief of the Defence Forces of the Republic of Kenya, and Dr. Monica Juma, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU. The AU, on its part, was represented by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, the Director of the Peace and Security Department and a representative from the Office of the Legal Counsel.

Source: Official website of AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia)

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