The African Union (AU) on Tuesday condemned attacks on its peacekeepers in Somalia which claimed the life of a Burundian soldier.
In a statement issued in Nairobi, Special Representative to the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nicolas Bwakira, described as shameful the killing of AMISOM soldiers who are on humanitarian peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
"The African Union strongly condemns the mischievous attack Monday night which claimed the life of an AMISOM Burundi soldier," said Bwakira.
He said the pan-African body's mission in the war-ravaged nation is determined to remain calm and focused on its mission in spite of constant provocations executed by Somali "anti-peace and negative forces to derail the ongoing peace process."
"The attackers must not mistake our lenient friendly disposition for a weakness and are, therefore, warned to desist from further provocative attacks," said Bwakira.
Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to the AMISOM in March 2007 and Burundi followed in 2008, but the force is still far short of the 8,000 soldiers initially announced by the AU.
AU peacekeepers have struggled to make an impact in Somalia, where they are targeted by Islamist insurgents seeking to regain power from the government forces.
Source:Xinhua
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