AFRICOM Commander begins East Africa tour

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Dagvin Anderson has begun his maiden visit to East Africa, specifically Kenya and Somalia, since taking command.

In Somalia, he met with the Head of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission (AUSSOM), El-Hadj Ibrahima Diene and his deputy, Major General Peter Muteti, and discussed support for Somali Security Forces, operations against Al-Shabaab and enhancing cooperation for long-term stability.

“Gen Anderson stressed that cooperation and burden sharing among partners are essential to success in defeating terrorism. And he recognised that while the United States provides a wide range of support to Somalia and AUSSOM, it is African troops who are taking the fight to the enemy,” the US Embassy in Somalia said in a post on X on Wednesday.

The visit comes at a time when counter terrorism operations in the two countries have led to a substantial degradation of Al-Shabaab militia and ISIS-Somalia’s capacity. It also comes at a time when AUSSOM in Somalia is grappling with a funding crisis that has led to a delay in required troop deployment following the withdrawal of the previous mission’s troops.

Source: Eastleigh Voice