The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, strongly condemns yesterday’s terrorist attack on the base of the Burundian forces of the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.
The Executive Secretary expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers, the Governments and peoples of Burundi and Somalia. He wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Dr Workneh says IGAD is confident that these attacks will neither deter nor alter the determination of IGAD and international partners to support the people of Somalia in their search for a lasting peace and stability.
Al-Shabaab jihadists armed with guns and explosives stormed an African Union base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that killed Burundian peacekeepers.
A high-ranking Burundian military officer said about 30 soldiers were killed and another 22 wounded, while a dozen were missing.
It was the first such attack on a peacekeeping base since the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) replaced the previous AMISOM peacekeeping force on April 1.
