Somalia Pushes for Ethiopia’s Inclusion in New African Union Mission

MOGADISHU – Somalia is actively seeking Ethiopia's inclusion in the troop quota for the new African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Balcad announced.

Ali Balcad revealed that the Somali government had already allocated troop contributions among the expected participating nations. However, he noted that negotiations are ongoing to address Ethiopia's potential role in the mission.

“The challenges that initially prevented Ethiopia from joining AUSSOM were rooted in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Those issues have now been resolved,” Balcad said. “However, the remaining challenge lies in the allocation of troop numbers, most of which have already been distributed, leaving no additional slots. We are working diligently to find a solution.”

The minister also stated that a Somali government delegation is scheduled to visit Ethiopia in the coming days to discuss technical arrangements for Ethiopia’s participation in AUSSOM.

In a related development, Ali Balcad confirmed that Ethiopia is set to appoint its ambassador to Somalia soon, while Somalia’s new ambassador to Ethiopia will officially assume duties in the near future.

AUSSOM is a critical component of efforts to stabilize Somalia as the African Union’s transition mission seeks to enhance Somali-led security operations against militant groups like Al-Shabaab. Ethiopia has nearly 10,000 soldiers in Somalia, operating in border regions in HirShabelle, Southwest and Jubaland.

GAROWE ONLINE