Mogadishu – The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) have concluded deliberations to align the logistical support the mission receives based on new ATMIS Concept of Operations (CONOPS).

At the first meeting convened since ATMIS was launched on April 1, 2022, discussions centred on the tactical and logistical issues which are key to the successful implementation of ATMIS’ mandate.

“We are working under very strict timetable and timelines set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2628. ATMIS is tasked to draw down 2,000 troops by the end of December 2022 and to exit completely by December 2024, which is less than 30 months away,” said the Deputy Head of ATMIS, Fiona Lortan.

Lortan said several strategic meetings would be held to review the mission's strategic plans. To that end, the ATMIS Deputy Head of Mission said that the African Union headquarters would provide political and strategic guidance on some of the issues raised by the UN Security Council Resolution.

To maintain a military advantage over Al-Shabaab, ATMIS Force Commander Lt. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya said the mission requires efficient acquisition, supply, and delivery of critical material during combat operations.

“It is crucial for us to develop an appropriate logistical support plan that addresses troop and mission needs as outlined in the new Concept of Operations, which requires our troops to be agile, mobile, flexible, adaptable, and responsive,” said Lt. Gen. Ndegeya.

The Head of UNSOS, Assistant Secretary General Lisa Filipetto, said plans are underway to decentralise logistics to the ATMIS sectors to facilitate quick response and provide better support for troop mobile operations.

“In planning the logistics support for ATMIS, we can’t lose sight of the need for support to the Somali Security Forces as well. It is important for the Somali Security Forces to have the capacity to gradually assume full responsibility for their own security,” said Filipetto.

UNSOS provides logistical support to ATMIS forces to sustain operations to secure and hold key population centres, open up Main Supply Routes (MSR) and protect civilians. In line with the National Security Architecture, UNSOS also provides logistical support capabilities to Somali Security Forces to enable them carry out joint operations with ATMIS forces.

Among other tasks, the UN Security Council Resolution mandates ATMIS with supporting the capacity development of the Somali security forces with priority given to force generation, operational competencies, and logistical support capabilities to facilitate progressive takeover of security responsibilities in Somalia.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the UN, senior officials from the ATMIS civilian, military, and police components, and senior officers from the Somali Security Forces and other international partners.