Somalia expects all Ethiopian troops to leave Somalia by the end of December 2024, Somalia’s National Security Advisor Hussein Maalim said, Azernews reports.

According to Maalim, Ethiopian troops will not be part of the African Union (AU)-led forces that will operate in the country once the ATMIS mission ends this December. Somalia is negotiating with international partners to establish a multinational force that would operate in Somalia for one year starting January 2025.

These post-ATMIS forces are expected to come from the other four troop-contributing countries: Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi. Ethiopian troops will leave by December.

Currently, Ethiopia has troops contributing to ATMIS as well as additional troops stationed in Somalia outside the ATMIS framework.