Djibouti Troops in Somalia

Описание: AMISOM has started airlifting more troops into central Somalia, to boost its presence on the ground as they continue to make gains against the al Shabaab group. Troops from Djibouti have begun arriving on United Nations flights to reinforce close to 300 soldiers that had been deployed to the region in early September.

Located some 300 km from the capital Mogadishu, Beletwyene was under the control of al Shabaab, up until December 31st 2011, when members of the Ethiopian Defense Force working with the then Transitional Federal Government (TFG), and pro government militia groups ousted the al Shabaab.

On September 2012, soldiers from Djiboutian contingent serving under the UN backed African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), arrived in Beletwyene and took over operations to maintain security. The new arrivals are part of the deployment of the main body of their forces that will be operating in the region. AMISOM's military Chief of Staff was on ground to welcome the troops.

The deployment of the main body of the AMISOM Djiboutian contingent will continue for about ten days, as the increase of boots on the ground brings security and stability to a country that until recently, hadn't had a functioning government for nearly two decades.

The Djiboutian contingent has taken up the challenge to train former pro-government militia fighters that fought against the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab in the Hiraan region of the country.

At their base in Beletwyene, members of the Djiboutian contingent take the ex pro-government militias through a two week rigorous program, teaching them various technical and tactical skills required in the fight against al Shabaab. They are receiving training in Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) detection and demining, first aid and quick response, tactical driving as well as communications.

These former pro-government fighters come from various clans in the district and often did not see eye to eye. They hope to be part of the new Somali army that will defend and support the new democratic elected government in bringing peace and stability to the nation.

SOUNDBITE (Somali) Mohamed Abdi Muhumad, Former Pro-Government Militia Fighter:
"I have been trained as a de-miner to server my people and my country, to take out all the mines form our nation and to fight against the terrorists."

As the morning sun turns on the heat in Beletwyene, the capital of the Hiraan region of Somalia, Djiboutian troops hit the dusty trails patrolling as a way of keeping security in the area.

In downtown Beletwyene, there is relative calm with the ousting of al Shabaab, but like most areas they have fled from, the group has turned to non-conventional ways of causing havoc on the population, planting IEDs and suicide bombings.

The Ethiopia Defense Force liberated Beletwyene in December 2011 and still maintains a presence on the ground, although they are not part of the UN sponsored African Union mission. Over the last six months AMISOM's Djiboutian contingent has secured downtown Beletwyene, and are increasing their area of control around the periphery of the town and the small villages that surround it.

SOUNDBITE (French) Captain Mohamed Mohammed Yusuf Kayad, AMISOM Djibouti Contingent:
"There have been incidents but not major ones, these terrorist actions have been small explosions like a week ago there was a grenade attack but no one was injured."

Various former pro-government militias could be seen with arms in town as well helping with security as shopkeepers open their stalls to business. There is an informal curfew from 5 AM to about 11 AM that allows for the AMISOM and Ethiopian troops to do daily morning sweeps for IEDs that might have been planted by al Shabaab sympathizers.

SOUNDBITE (Somali) Abdi Hakim Mahamuud, Beletwyene resident:
"With the arrival of the Djiboutian really there is a difference. It feels like there is some sort of order. Before we could not move freely and easily. We are brothers and we speak the same language."

The Djiboutian contingent fighting al Shabaab in Central Somalia are part of a larger force with troops from Uganda, Burundi, Kenyan and Sierra Leone, all battling the Al Qaeda linked group across Somalia.

Somalia over the last 18 months has seen major changes as large swathes of territory and major towns and cities have been liberated from the once-feared al Shabaab by government forces backed by AMISOM troops. More recently, Somalia's democratically elected parliament chose a new president who in turn has appointed a new cabinet in the capital Mogadishu.