AU starts second phase of discussion over new mission in Somalia
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Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 02-03-2022, 10:18AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Top officials of the African Union [AU] have started the second phase of technical discussions on the new structure of the African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] ahead of the expiry of the latter's mandate in March this year.
The next phase of discussion will focus on the mandate, composition, size, structure, and Concept of Operations [CONOPs] of the proposed African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] which will replace AMISOM by the end of this month.
Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Somalia's Defense Minister, said the proposed mission will be implementing the priorities of the Somali Transition Plan [STP] which is a comprehensive strategy developed by the government and AMISOM.
“As proposed by the technical teams of the FGS and AU, the mandate of the new AU Transition Mission in Somalia will be to support the Federal government to implement its strategic objectives and priorities in the STP,” Nur said.
Ambassador Francisco Madeira, the African Union special envoy to Somalia, said the meeting will focus on coming up with a roadmap to distinguish the new mission from AMISOM which has been in operation for the last 14 years.
“We have agreed on what needs to be done. However, we need to work together on how this will be done, with what means and what is required to differentiate the new mission from AMISOM.
"This is a project that is essential and dear to all of us, but for it to succeed it needs assurances of reliable sources of adequate and predictable funding and support. We should, therefore, at the end of the technical meeting be in a position to make clear commitments on what each one of us will contribute to making the agreed conclusions implementable and successful,” he noted.
The Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said the UN was committed to a successful reconfiguration of AMISOM through consultation, collaboration, and coordination.
“We welcome the commencement of the technical talks to further develop the draft Concept of Operations, develop a joint proposal, and the logistics support package in line with the agreed roadmap. The Somali Transition Plan, a compass to guide our work, is focused on delivering a comprehensive security transition in Somalia, and the UN is committed to supporting this Somali-led process. I want to underscore that the reconfiguration of AMISOM to a new mission is a key part of this effort,” said Gbeho.
Tiina Intelmann, who is the head of the European Delegation to Somalia said the EU was keen to assist the mission to be reconfigured. EU is one of the largest funders of the AMISOM.
“The joint paper makes reference to sustainable, predictable, and adequate funding, and I can say that we are ready to be a contributor and assure this predictability, however, there has to be a reconfiguration plan that is realistic, pragmatic and focused,” she emphasized.
Also present at the meeting was the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Somalia, Kate Foster, the Deputy Head of the Turkish Mission in Somalia, Kosif Ismail Emre, and the United States Ambassador to Somalia. The meeting was also attended by representatives from the embassies of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Djibouti in Somalia.
These countries are part of the Troop and Police Contributing Countries [T/PCC] to AMISOM. On 20 February 2007, the United Nations Security Council authorized the African Union to deploy a peacekeeping mission with an initial mandate of six months.
Over the years, AMISOM has worked to reduce the threat posed by Al-Shabaab and has provided security for Somalia to establish political processes including governance, stabilization, reconciliation, and peace-building in Somalia.
GAROWE ONLINE
