Pascal Nyabenda, Speaker of the National Assembly says the institution he represents joins Burundi and Somali Presidents in saying again no to the decision taken by the AU Peace and Security Commission to repatriate 1,000 Burundi troops from Somalia.
Members of Parliament are against the decision taken by the AU Peace and Security Commission
He says peace and security are not yet established on the Somali territory. “Al-Shebabs are not yet defeated and remain a threat to Somalia as well as to the regional countries including Kenya”, he says.
Speaker Pascal Nyabenda mentions it during the closing ceremonies of the 2018 December Ordinary Session at the National Assembly.
He also says the decision can be reviewed: “Such a decision would be taken after a summit between troop contributing countries,” says the Speaker of the National Assembly adding that Burundi and Somali presidents recognize the important role played by Burundi troops in the preservation of peace and security in Somalia.
On 21 February, 200 troops landed at Bujumbura International Airport while 171 others had arrived on 23 February.
However, the remaining six hundred have not yet been repatriated from Somalia until this 28 February as expected.
On 19 December, the African Union Peace and Security Commission announced it had decided that Burundi National Defense peacekeepers be reduced by 1,000 by 28 February 2019.
Burundi has the second largest contingent in AMISOM with 5,400 troops, after Uganda, which has 6,200 men. Other contributors are Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.
IWACU Open Data
