The African Union (AU) and the Federal Government of Somalia have reached an agreement to include 2,500 Ethiopian soldiers in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

The African Union and Somalia authorities have finalized discussions regarding the troop contributions from various countries for the new mission. According to a report by Voice of America, Ethiopia will contribute 2,500 soldiers, Uganda 4,500, Djibouti 1,520, Kenya 1,410, and Egypt 1,091 to the peace keeping mission in Somalia.

In addition to the military personnel, it has been reported that hundreds of police officers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Egypt will be stationed in key cities, including Mogadishu, Jowhar, and Baidoa.

An anonymous AU official disclosed to VOA that Burundian soldiers, who have been stationed in Somalia since 2007, will be withdrawing due to a disagreement over the number of troops.

Somalia and African Union officials have confirmed that a total of 11,900 personnel, comprising soldiers, police, and civilian support workers, will be involved in AUSSOM.

Ethiopian forces are set to be stationed in Somalia’s Gedo, Bay, Bakool, and Hiran regions, where they currently operate. Additionally, Ethiopia is expected to deploy more troops to Somalia based on a separate bilateral agreement.

Recently, it was recalled that Somalia and Ethiopia have reached an agreement to establish a system governing the status of Ethiopian defense forces deployed in Somalia. This agreement comes after a year-long diplomatic dispute and aims to formalize the presence and operations of Ethiopian troops in the region.