Kenyan president announces plan to withdraw troops from Somalia by 2024

By Andrew Wasika

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - President William Ruto announced Tuesday that Kenya will begin removing troops from Somalia by 2024.

Ruto said the decision was necessary to scale down the military presence in Somalia.

"We are working with our brothers and sisters in Somalia. Even as the drawdown of the troops is expected by next year, we have a concrete plan on how Somalia is going to move on as a state," he said at the launch of the State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa Report at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.

Ruto noted that the number of troops in Somalia would also be reduced.
He did not, however, disclose how many troops would be withdrawn or a plan for their redeployment.

Since 2011, Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops have been in Somalia where they have been part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country.

The KDF has been instrumental in pushing back the Al-Shabaab terror group which has been waging a deadly insurgency for years.

In recent years, al-Shabaab has launched attacks in Kenya, targeting civilians and military personnel.

One of the deadliest attacks occurred in 2015, when the group attacked Garissa University College, killing 148 people, mostly students.

Despite the presence of regional troops, al-Shabaab continues to carry out attacks in Somalia as well, targeting government and military installations as well as civilians.

Ruto and the International Organization for Migration launched the first-ever report on migration in the East and Horn of Africa, covering 12 countries in the region.

The report focuses on mobility dimensions of regional integration, including trade, labor, health, climate change and gender.