The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 306 th meeting held on 5 January 2012, adopted the following decision on the situation in Somalia:
Council:
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Notes the recommendations made by the meeting of the Ministers of Defence of the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other interested countries, held in Addis Ababa on 4 January 2012, regarding the Strategic Concept for future AMISOM operations [CDS‐Min Def/TCCs/AMISOM.REC(I)], as well as the statements made by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, Uganda, as AMISOM TCC, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary‐General for Somalia, Denmark, as co‐Chair of the AU Partner Group, Italy, as co‐Chair of the IGAD Partner Forum, and the European Union (EU);
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Recalls its earlier communiqués on the situation in Somalia, in particular communiqué PSC/PR/COMM.3(CCLVIII), adopted at its 258thmeeting held on 20 January 2011, in which it decided to renew the mandate of AMISOM for an additional period of 12 months. Council also recalls its communiqué PSC/PR/COMM(CCCII) and press statement PSC/PR/BR.(CCCV) issued at its 302nd and 305th meetings held on 2 and 22 December 2011, respectively, on the draft Strategic Concept for future operations;
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Endorses the Strategic Concept for future AMISOM operations as a planning tool for enhancing the strength of AMISOM and furthering the gains made on the ground, as reviewed and recommended by the Ministers of Defence of the TCCs to AMISOM and other interested countries, including:
(i) the increase of the level of UN‐supported AMISOM uniformed personnel from 12,000 to 17,731, including 5,700 from the Djiboutian contingent and the re‐ hatted Kenyan troops, as well as AMISOM police component,
(ii) the deployment by Burundi and Uganda of additional troops to reach the currently UN‐authorized strength of 12,000, with the understanding that the utilization of these additional troops will be determined on the basis of the needs in the main liberated areas,
(iii) the insertion of AMISOM troops in areas liberated with the support of Ethiopia, in view of the urgency of the stated intent of Ethiopia to withdraw from those areas,
(iv) the extension of AMISOM’s area of responsibility by fast tracking the insertion of AMISOM troops in all the liberated areas,
(v) the provision of the required force enablers and multipliers, as well as logistical support to other components of AMISOM, and (vi) the enhancement of the TFG security and allied forces, to enable and empower them to play an increased role in the implementation of the Strategic Concept;
- Urges the UN Security Council to expeditiously consider and authorize the support required for the immediate implementation of the Strategic Concept, in order to take advantage of the unique opportunity created by the operations being conducted against Al Shabaab in different parts of Somalia, thereby consolidating the security gains and moving the peace process forward;