What the AU boss discussed with Somali President Hassan Sheikh

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Newly elected Africa Union Commission Chairperson Mohamoud Ali Youssouf picked Somalia as his first destination weeks after his unlikely victory in Addis Ababa, underscoring the commitment to assist the country in a stabilization mission.

As a founding member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor to the African Union Commission, Somalia remains steadfast in its commitment to continental unity, solidarity, and multilateral cooperation.

During the trip, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud appreciated the Chairperson’s visit, underscoring the shared vision of strengthening collaboration between Somalia and the African Union, a major security stakeholder in Somalia.

"Their discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in key areas, including regional security, economic integration, governance reforms, and institutional development, reaffirming the AU’s unwavering commitment to Somalia’s progress," read a statement on X from Villa Somalia.

For his part, Ali expressed gratitude to the President, the government, and the people of Somalia for their warm hospitality. He commended Somalia’s continued progress in advancing stability, governance, and regional integration and reaffirmed the AU's unwavering support for its development and peacebuilding efforts.

In Somalia, the AU is finalizing the deployment of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) troops, whose numbers have been significantly reduced. The mission will have a total of 11900 civilians and troops serving within the next year.

The long-term strategy is to get rid of the foreign forces by replacing them with the Somali National Army. However, the Somali team is not adequately prepared to take over security responsibilities from the peacekeepers.

But considerable gains have been made in fighting Al-Shabaab militants who still control large swathes of rural central and southern regions with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud personally visiting soldiers on the frontlines. Hundreds of fighters have been killed in recent weeks.

GAROWE ONLINE