Bartamaha (Nairobi):- The head of the African Union (AU) has announced that Djibouti and Guinea are to send troops to the Somali capital of Mogadishu to help restore stability to the country.
“Guinea is preparing a battalion to be sent to Somalia immediately. Djibouti prepared a battalion six months ago,†Chairman of the AU Jean Ping said on Friday.
He further added that Guinea has already sent commanders to Mogadishu to prepare for the arrival of their troops, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday.
The announcement comes just days before the meeting of African Union leaders in Uganda, which will deliberate on Somalia.
The senior politician also pointed out that the battalions from the two countries will join the 6,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi in the strife-ridden Horn of Africa country.
Djibouti, which has played a crucial role in hosting Somali reconciliation and peace talks, announced its decision to send peacekeeping troops to the country on the request of both the AU and the Somali government.
Somali President Sharif Ahmed had pleaded for international backup in an attempt to help restore stability to his country during an extraordinary session of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He has also urged the opposition groups to unite and prepare for further negotiations.
Al-Shabaab — which is the military wing of the Council of Islamic Courts — and the opposition political movement Hizb al-Islam have been fighting government troops in and around Mogadishu since 2006.
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Source:-Press Tv.
