TITLE:
Contact Dilemma: The Malady of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Troops
AUTHORS:
William Oluoch Ligawa, Odhiambo Elijah Onyango Standslause, Mohamed Hussein Rahoy
KEYWORDS:
Militia, Contact Dilemma, Al Shabaab, Peace Support Operations, Intervention, Contact, Engagements
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.3 No.8,
August
19,
2016
ABSTRACT: The collapse of Somali Government in the early 1990s left the state in
the hands of predatory war lords who wrecked the country into havoc. The
country has remained in a state of violent conflict for nearly over two decades.
Intervention of United Nations Operations in Somalia failed to meet its
objectives leaving the vulnerable population at the mercy of warlords when it
finally withdrew its troops from the war torn nation. Despite the efforts of
AMISOM troops to degrade the capability of Al Shabaab, little has been
achieved. The militant group seems to be attacking the troops with vigour and
renewed strength. With new barbaric counterinsurgency tactics, the terror group
is regaining holds in the previously liberated regions. The soldiers tend to
flee when they get engagements with Al Shabaab. They are unable to hold and
suppress the firepower during contact. Consequently, the soldiers go into a
flight mode turning their defensive position into a rout. This act is proving
to be catastrophic to the mission since it occasions fatalities to the troops.
Some who miss in action get lost into the hostile enemy territory. It is in
this context that the study reports ways in which this malady can be curbed
through the lens of contact dilemma.