By RFPosted on 01-08-2019Modified on 01-08-2019 at 13:34

In theory, Somali national forces will have to ensure the security of the country by December 2021, by which time the 20,000 troops of the African AMISOM operation will leave the country. Under-equipped, poorly trained, corrupted by corruption, the Somali army is not ready to take over, experts say. But the Somali power wants to show that progress is being made.

To confront only Shebab terrorists , the Somali armed forces first need unity. The government is therefore integrating the Ahlu Sunna militia, a force of several thousand men created in October 2009.

Moderate and Sufi religious in inspiration, Ahlu Sunnah was the first Somali movement to stand against the shebabs, when the Islamists destroyed the graves of their saints. The militia has been effective in its stronghold, the center of the country, partly to repel the terrorists.

In December 2017, Ahlu Sunna and the local administration signed an agreement to share power. In return, the Somali president promised logistical support, promotions and medical care. In early July, an unpublished joint exercise was organized, coupled with the official registration of the Ahlu Sunna fighters. The first mixed battalions have just been formed.

At the same time, the government is attempting an internal revolution by paying its soldiers directly, without going through intermediaries. " Before, the salaries were cash envelopes given to intermediate officers responsible for distributing them. There was a lot of diversion, "says a diplomat.

Now, to improve traceability, the money is transferred to bank accounts and linked to the biometric data of each man. " We must now make sure that all the soldiers are registered, adds the diplomat, and that there are no duplicates or ghost soldiers. "

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