MOGADISHU, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Friday it has handed over a military training academy it has occupied for more than a decade to Somalia to help local forces enhance security in the country.
Francisco Madeira, special representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, said the Jaalle Siyaad Military Academy had been an operation base for the Burundi contingent since September 2008.
"It was from this same base that AMISOM troops with the support of Somali forces gallantly liberated another national institution, Gashandiigah, which in turn led to the securing of one of Mogadishu's iconic market, Bakara market, consequently contributing to al-Shabab's defeat and withdrawal from Mogadishu," Madeira said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
The AU envoy said the handover is another major milestone in the implementation of the Somalia transition plan.
According to AMISOM, the academy holds a special place in the country's history, having served as a key forward operation base for AU troops during the fierce battle against al-Shabab militants that led to the liberation of Mogadishu in 2011.
Madeira said the handover was the culmination of three months of preparation, which saw the Burundi continent move its main operation base to Jowhar, the administrative capital of Somalia's HirShabelle state.
Burundi contingent commander, Leonidas Niyungeko, urged the government to use the academy and the Somali National University, which was handed over in July 2017, to train future civil and military officers.
The academy is the third facility to be handed over to the federal government, after the Somali National University and Mogadishu National Stadium.
Mahdi Mohamed Guled, deputy prime minister of Somalia described the handover of the academy as proof that the country was on the right path to achieve long lasting peace and security after decades of war.
