Outgoing ATMIS Force Commander hails SNA capabilities
Outgoing ATMIS Force commander Lt. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya during the handover ceremony (Photo by ATMIS)
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) outgoing Force Commander has hailed the growing capabilities displayed by the Somali National Army (SNA) after recovering a string of towns, villages, and cities from Al-Shabaab as a result of its ongoing offensive against the terrorist group.
Lt. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya noted in his farewell message the SNA’s ability to fight and defeat Al-Shabaab as well as hold ground as “a critical indicator that it was growing into a force capable of taking full responsibility for national security and the protection of the country and its citizens.”
He added, “Somali people need peace because they have suffered for far too long. I am pleased that beginning in September of this year, under the leadership of the new government, the local population have joined hands in the fight against Al-Shabaab. It is certain that there is political will to defeat terrorism in Somalia.”
In recent months, Somalia’s security forces supported by armed local militias, have waged an offensive against Al-Shabaab that has culminated in the liberation of swathes of territory from the group.
