The Security Council has approved the increase of the number of peacekeepers serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) from 12,000 to over 17,000.
In a resolution adopted unanimously on Wednesday, the Council also decided to expand the amount of assistance the United Nations is providing to AMISOM.
AMISOM troops, which come mainly from Burundi and Uganda, are helping the transitional federal government to establish control over the territory and battle the Al-Shabaab insurgents.
Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of the United Kingdom, the sponsor of the resolution, said the decision of the Security Council is important for creating stability in Somalia.
// Cue in: “AMISOM needed troop levels to increase to 17,731
Cue Out: … of the development of effective Somali security forces.”
