The Economist published on 2 October 2023 an article titled "The Drawdown of African Peacekeepers from Somalia Has been Stalled."
Due to concerns that Somalia's army will not be able to hold territory now controlled by African Union peacekeepers, plans to withdraw 3,000 of the 18,000 strong force have been shelved. The Somali National Army remains too disorganized and poorly equipped to keep al-Shabaab from occupying territory now held by AU peacekeepers.
