NAIROBI (SD) -The Presidents of Uganda and Kenya, Yoweri Museveni and William Ruto have raised an alarm calling for a reassessment of the plan to withdraw ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) troops from Somalia to prevent a security vacuum.

The two leaders, whose countries contribute troops to the ATMIS mission, expressed their concerns after a meeting at the Nairobi State House on Thursday. They voiced worries about the threat of terrorism and instability in the Horn of Africa region and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening peace and security in the region.

“During my meeting with President Museveni, we expressed concern about the drawdown of Atmis in Somalia and we urged that the timelines for the drawdown align with the security conditions on the ground in Somalia,” President Ruto said in the joint communique.

The leaders’ statements come as 4,000 ATMIS troops are scheduled to withdraw from Somalia by the end of June, adding to the 5,000 soldiers who left the mission last year.