New Burundi battle group arrives in Somalia

Monday August 21, 2017

Mogadishu, 21 August 2017 – A new battle group of the Burundi National Defence Force (BNDF) arrived in Somalia today, commencing a one year tour of duty under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The 45th battalion of the BDNF, led by Lt. Col. Philbert Hatungimana, landed in Mogadishu on Sunday to replace battalion 39, which is rotating out after completing its tour of duty, during which it helped the Mission achieve its mandate of restoring peace and stabilizing Somalia.

Lt. Col. Hatungimana expressed the readiness of the new battalion to contribute to peace and stability in Somalia.

“My expectation in this mission is to help restore peace and stability in Somalia and to help the people of Somalia regain peace,” he explained.

Lt. Col. Hatungimana stated that the new battalion will be deployed to Jowhar, the headquarter of HirShabelle state, and will work closely with the Somali security forces in securing the region.

Burundi was the second country after Uganda to deploy soldiers to Somalia to help restore peace and stability under AMISOM after a prolonged civil war. Other Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) are Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.