UN delays troop reduction in Somalia force

The Security Council has voted to delay the reduction of troops in the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia from October to February and its target date for Somali forces to take the lead in the country’s security to December 2021.

A resolution adopted unanimously by the council on Monday authorizes deployment of the force known as AMISOM until May 31, 2019, including a reduction to a maximum of 20,626 uniformed troops by Feb. 28, 2019. It pushes back Somalia’s takeover from AMISOM from 2020.

British Ambassador Karen Pierce, whose country sponsored the resolution, said: “The resolution allows for a delay in the transition of AMISOM precisely so that there’s enough time and space for the Somalis to get their house in order on the security side.”