In a brief to the Force Commander, the Sector Commander Col. Abdourahman Abdi Dhembil, said residents had been terrorized by Al Shabaab for several years. He added that the militants assassinated community leaders, illegally taxed populations and denied them basic social services.

He explained that due to isolation, the area lacked basic infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals and access to safe water.

The troops in Belet Weyne work with; and support the Somali National Army (SNA) in securing the region. They have helped reconstruct military camps including the Lamagalay camp, which was built through donations from AMISOM soldiers, who gave up part of their pay to assist their counterparts in the Somali National Army.

The troops also train and mentor SNA soldiers, have been involved in the rehabilitation of the Belet Weyne airstrip, construction of the Boulay and Bulo Burde airstrips, support to the internally displaced persons (IDPs), provision of medical assistance to the local population and mediation of clan conflicts, among others. They also share their rations with needy families in the region.

The Force Commander commended the troops for their dedication and hard work.

"Mine is to thank the AMISOM officers and soldiers from Djibouti Defence Force and Ethiopia National Defence Force for the sacrifices and their contributions to the well being of the people of Somalia. I know it has not come easy; we have paid heavily for this. We salute those we came with but are not with us today, in all the Sectors. The SNA has also lost good soldiers, we salute them. It is not in vain that they suffered those losses, one day this country will be peaceful. During my tenure of service with AMISOM, I have worked well with Djiboutian and Ethiopian soldiers in this Sector and I am very proud of what you have done,” said the Force Commander.