In response to questions raised by journalists about the Deputy Secretary-General’s comments concerning the number of AMISOM casualties in Somalia, we would like to clarify the following:   The casualty figures used by the Deputy Secretary-General were an estimate based on information from informal sources; dissemination of exact casualty statistics is solely the responsibility of the African Union and the individual troop contributing countries.  

The focus of the Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks was to express his, and indeed the entire UN system’s admiration for the remarkable work AMISOM has done, at great sacrifice, over the past several years. Their efforts have been instrumental to the recent progress made in the security situation and underpinned the successful political transition in 2012 in Somalia.