Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye says “there are no words strong enough to condemn the Al Shabaab attack against the Burundian contingent” of African Union troops in Somalia.
The Burundian president was reacting to the attack by the militant group Al-Shabaab on a military base in Somalia on Tuesday.
“I join with all of Africa to console the families of the fallen heroes,” he tweeted.
News Central earlier reported that Moussa Faki, the African Union’s chairperson, condemned the attack by Al-Shabab militants on a Burundian military post in central Somalia.
The number of people killed or injured in the attack on the base, which is some 130 kilometres north of Mogadishu, has not yet been revealed by the African Union.
Al-Shabab insurgents, on the other hand, claimed to have murdered over 170 soldiers and taken entire control of the African Union facility. This has yet to be independently verified.
Faki stated in a statement that the “assault will not weaken the will” of the African Union (AU) military in Somalia.
He urged the international community to provide more assistance to Somali security forces and the African Union mission in Somalia.
Faki also spoke with Burundi’s president on the phone to “pay homage” for the Burundi peacekeepers’ sacrifice.