High-level officials from the African Union Headquarters and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), have visited injured soldiers from the mission at various hospitals in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, to check on their wellbeing and welfare.

As ATMIS supports the Somali National Army (SNA) and security forces in the fight against terrorism, some soldiers from the mission suffer various forms of injuries with those in critical need evacuated from Somalia to various hospitals in Nairobi for specialized care and treatment.

AU officials conduct regular hospital visits to check on the brave men and women of the mission as they recover from various injuries and illnesses.

Leading the team on a visit to two Nairobi hospitals was Zinurine Alghali, the Acting Head of the AU Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD), who carried a message of hope and goodwill from the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“We have two clear messages; one is that we thank these officers as individuals who are part of our peace support mission in Somalia. Secondly, we thank the troop and police contributing countries that provide the human and material contributions to support the efforts of the African Union in Somalia,” said Alghali.

“The AU has standard procedures in place to ensure that if our serving officers are sick or injured, they receive adequate medical care. We also do hospital follow-ups to ensure they have the right support and as they undergo treatment,” he added.

After visiting the hospitals in Nairobi where the soldiers are receiving specialist treatment, Alghali said his team was satisfied with the level of support and care the soldiers were receiving from dedicated and committed medical officers.