The UN Security Council decided on Friday to establish a new peacekeeping force in Somalia to combat the terrorist network al-Shabaab. The force will be under the African Union (AU).
Fourteen countries voted in favor of the new mission. The fifteenth member state of the council, the USA, abstained, citing that the financing issue for the force had not been resolved.
The Islamist al-Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has long sought to overthrow the central government – often through targeted and brutal acts – in the poor, climate-ravaged, and war-torn Somalia.
The previous UN force Atmis' mandate expires at the turn of the year and will be replaced by the new force called Aussom.
