Somali and AU Peace and Security Council members meet to discuss AMISOM future

Africa, News November 10, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

Somali officials held a meeting with a 15-member delegation of the African Union Peace and Security Council led by Ambassador Mohamed Gad of Egypt, in Mogadishu on November 9, to discuss the future of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).

The AMISON peacekeeping operations have been in jeopardy after the Somali government expelled an AU deputy special representative.

On November 4, Somalia blamed Simon Mulongo for engaging in activities that are incompatible with AU mission and declared him persona non grata. Somalia then asked the African Union Commission (AUC) official to leave Somalia in seven days time.

Somalia’s foreign ministry released a statement saying that the AUC’s deputy special representative in Mogadishu, was no longer welcome in the country due to his engagement “in activities [that are] incompatible with AMISOM’s (African Union Mission in Somalia) mandate and Somalia’s security strategy.”

Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdirizak posted on his Twitter that the Somali government “will hold accountable AMISOM person[n]el, particularly those at the leadership level, who are expected to be beyond reproach in their integrity as they discharge their duty under the UN/AU mandate”.

During the November 9 meeting with the officials from African Union Peace and Security Council, Somali Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Abdulrazack stated that his country firmly rejects the so-called “hybrid option”.

Mohamed Abdulrazack said: “The hybrid option that you chose brings more troops while the Somali transitional plan we would like to have reduces the current force, this is the biggest difference we have… We want less force, not more. We want much more effective approach to combating terrorism and strengthening Somali forces.”

AU delegation head Ambassador Mohamed Gad stressed that despite the differences, the AMISOM remains committed to enhancing stability in Somalia. “The physical presence of the council in its full composition is an expression of the commitment of the Peace and Security Council to Somalia to the engagement of the African Union and its mission AMISOM at this critical juncture,” Gad said.

AMISOM was established in 2007 to support the government of Somalia to tackle security threats from al-Shabab and other terrorist groups. However, the Somali government is against the deployment of additional foreign troops into the country, as more AU countries are expected to send their peacekeeping troops to Somalia, joining the existing 20,000 soldiers from African countries.