SOMALIA, Kismayo — Soldiers serving with the Kenyan Contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) stand infront of a mosque in the grounds of Kismayo University in the southern Somali port city of Kismayo, approx. 500km south of the country’s capital Mogadishu. AU-UN IST PHOTO / STUART PRICE
NAIROBI — Kenyan troops in the UN-backed Africa Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Wednesday that relative peace is steadily returning to the port city of Kismayo once the bastion of Al-Shabaab.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna said more militants are still surrendering to AMISOM forces as the troops mull ways of setting up an inclusive administration that will run the port city.
“The security situation in Kismayo is steadily improving with more militants surrendering to AMISOM forces,” Oguna said.
“Movement in and out of the town continues to be monitored at control points erected outside the town,” he added.
The port city of Kismayo, Al-Shabaab’s only remaining stronghold, was captured by Kenyan soldiers and other allied forces on Sept. 28 after a spirited gunfire between the insurgents and AMISOM forces.
The militant group has also come under pressure from soldiers from Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone who recently pushed them out of the outskirts of Somali capital Mogadishu and other key regions they used to control two years ago.
Analysts said the loss of the seaport is a major blow to the Al- Shabaab who once extorted much of their revenue from traders and businesses utilizing the facility.
Kismayo, with a population of about 200,000 people, is the third largest city of Somalia which is considered the hub of the militant group which formally merged with the dreaded global terror network, the al Qaida, after several years of pledging loyalty and ideological similarities.
Oguna said KDF, Somali National Army (SNA) and Raskamboni Brigade held a meeting on Wednesday to mull the way forward on Kismayo administration. According to Oguna, the meeting resolved for establishment of a two tier administration.
“In that, tier One will comprise of the chair, his deputy and 10 assistants,” Oguna said.
Two of the 10 assistants will be in charge of a department, he said, adding the departments including security, economics, justice, social and relief.
Oguna said the tier Two will comprise of working parties, each having five personnel in the departments of security, economic, justice, social and relief, bringing the working number to 25.
“It was unanimously agreed that leadership would be rotational after 20 days,” said Oguna as the AMISOM and SNA continue with their pacification of the Horn of Africa nation.
He said the meeting further agreed the findings of the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting taking place in Nairobi will supersede any arrangements that may be existing in Kismayo presently.
“The working parties will be meeting every alternate day to brief the committee on the situation progress,” Oguna said.
Kenya blames Al-Shabaab for the kidnappings of foreigners, and fears its tourist andbusiness economy will be destroyed if it allows the insurgents to go on unchallenged.
Kenya has appealed to Somalis and those in the Diaspora to embrace peace, say no to agents of terror and prepare for the hard work of national reconstruction.
Kenya has also put security in key towns on a high alert following Kenya’s military operations in Somalia which sparked threats from the Al-Shabaab group that it will retaliate deep in Kenya.
Source: Xinhua
🙂 Jubaland province of KENYA.
You better start learning Swahili if you don't already speak it.
Kuma Moto
JUBBALAND belongs to somalia There si question about.fix your own little councel.
…There’s no question about…
i rather live in a kenya run region than under al shabaab from somaliland son !!
I am not stopping you nigga… jumb on a banana boat to Mombasa any time you like.
well said ayanle,Godane he is on run like wild fox.his days are over.
Good prosperity ahead in jubbaland,because of fertile land rivers and vast ocean+gas and oil.
Those who Think kenyans are controling your wrong without The support of local PEOPLE kenyans can’t move ONE INCH.
UNISOM are also in mogadishu and rest of south accept The small regions Puntland-Somaliland.
as They say folks in kismayo”kismayo kas kaaga,kistaada iyo karbunadada”.
the presence of foreign African forces in south Somalia is an absolute occupation no different from the European colonization of Somalia in the past. That is a bitter fact that resulted from the prolonged civil war between the two main mere tribes of Somalia namely Hawiye Afar-qooble and Daarood Doofaar.
These two bear the historical responsiblity and shame of being unable to reconcile even after twenty three years. Any socalled Somali gevernment will be hostage to the wished of the foreign occupiers and masters whose troops call the shots in Somalia. Keniya and Ethiopa have their own agendas. Their occupation of Somalia will last long and meanwhile they will certainly work hard on changing the demography of south Somalia by encouraging mass emegration of the hopless youth of their empverished countries to Somalia. God bless the wise nation of Somaliland who, unlikethe wild Hawiye and daarood, won both war and the challanges of peace twenty three years ago. We surely have nothing in common with Hawiye and Daarood.
somalilan region is one triba enclase ONE WAY STREET council.it will be very wise if you stop calling somalilan a country becuase nothing progress happening There at all.
kismanyo is an important city for Somalia when it's a peace and healthy so does the rest of the nation we must take advantage the help we're getting from other nations we should start new era of collaboration instead of confrontation collective community over clan where we value Avery Somali citizen life's and not dwell on it what happen previously but start moving forward and raise up this nation consciousness when we can achieve that we will make it all the way back and we will become one of most prospers the nation in the world.
Sahra, its all very well moving forward and turning the page but first Faqash ppl have to accept the atrocity they commuted against isaaq ppl. Reconciliation starts with asking for forgiveness and changing your Faqash ways of doing things. These ppl say negative comments about d land everyday which isn’t fair bec ause s land has been
Buuxiye is bitter because his Garadag project is going no where and Dhiigshiil got hacked. They both hacked and destroyed little projects driven by hate and grieving. We need the port of Kismayo to import more tissue for them.
moory@@n alert. kayse the man who loves south zoomalia but never dares to go there
nutty kaboon go away you're useless.
These Kenyans the only reason they could of set foot in Somalia is because of some traitors with their own agenda. I'd rather prefer the Ugandans/Burundi's over the Ethiopians/Kenyans in Somalia for one reason only and that is that they don't occupy any of our lands by claiming it as their own.
I went to the market with my missus the other day i thought it would be gud excuse just to get away from me in laws and have a little bit of moment with my wife. normally before i go out i usually carry lyk two pistols and one grenade and to make sure it's fully loaded I mean this is somalia after all, an al shabaab attack, clan war or just armed robbery could break out so I have to consider my safety. Anwaiz we came to the market, did our food shopping but before we head off home i went to a khat stall, the dude who was selling looked similar to godane so all kicks in Mogadishu 2011 hundreds students killed. I withdrew my pistol and pointed on center of his forehead then he burst into tears and says he's not godane and his a Sufi Muslim. I LOVE being in Hargeisa I am a rich with a bad image i do whatever I want, I get whatever I wanted.
kkkkkkkkk i don't think your kind is allowed in hargaisa plus it is haram for iss@q woman to marry a person who is lower then her. it is like a prince marrying a servant, it is just not socially allowed. a
What's happening in Kismayo is upto the TG under President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud.
Kismayo falls under Capital Mogadiscio of all Somalia from Puntland, Kismayo, Baidoa
and in-between. What's happening in the 16+1=17 Somalia Territorial boundaries should
have the direct control of Capital Mogadiscio new TG. Other than the boundaries of NFD,
Kenya has no business to expand on Somalia Soil. However, this is a problem between Somalia
and Kenya. De jure Somaliland is outside the scope of Somalia's crisis and a different
Independent ball game.
Cheers.