In a letter dated September 23 and 25, that was sent to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, Ferit Hoxha of Albania, Kenya, Djibouti, Burundi and Uganda expressed "strong support" for Somalia's appeal.
"The African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) Troop Contributing Country (TCC) writes to you in strong support of the Federal Government of Somalia's formal request for a technical pause in the drawdown of the 3,000 African Union Transmission in Somalia uniformed personnel by a period of 3 months," read the letter.
The five members of ATMIS TCC acknowledged "the unique challenges Somalia faces."
The ATMIS TCC pledged to continue working with Somalian authorities to implement "agreed benchmarks and further initiate field assessments that account for the operational challenges " before proceeding with the second phase of the drawdown.
The letter was published on social media and verified by VOA. It commends Somalia for accelerating their military offensive operations against al-Shabab.
"We also acknowledge the competing priorities presented in the ongoing expansive military campaign against al-Shabab, particularly in central Somalia," read the letter.
"We also underline the recent setbacks such as the attacks in the Cawswayne area of Galguduud region on August 26, 2023," it added.
The regional security force said it would be essential that the drawdown of troops commences after Somalia "successfully accomplishes the mandated tasks."
Somalia's request came after it experienced military setbacks and a commitment to the full withdrawal of AU forces by December 2024.
This story was originated by VOA's Somali Service.
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