On Wednesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is scheduled to fly to Kampala to participate in the Heads of State Summit of the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The goals of the summit include assessing progress made in carrying out the ATMIS mandate, examining the drawdown strategy, and ensuring adherence to UNSCRs 26/70 (2022) and 26/28.
Technical representatives from the TCCs, which include Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, have started planning meetings for the Summit. The occasion comes in response to President Mohamud’s proposal that Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the president of Uganda, organize an extraordinary summit during the United States Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington, DC, in December 2022.
At the Serena Conference Hotel in Kampala, Ambassador Julius Kivuna, Head of the Ugandan Delegation and Regional Peace and Security Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed participants. In order to ensure a seamless and peaceful withdrawal of ATMIS soldiers, he asked specialists to engage in open discussion and offer workable proposals for ATMIS strategic leaders.
Kivuna thanked the TCCs, Somalia, and ATMIS Partners for their assistance in promoting peace, security, and stability in Somalia and the surrounding area as well as for their sacrifices and acts of brotherhood. The lives and livelihoods of the Somali people have been profoundly impacted by accomplishments including saving lives, improving infrastructure, and expanding social services.
The Chief of Defence Forces, Permanent Secretaries, and the Ministerial Session of the ATMIS TCCs and Somalia met prior to the Heads of State Summit on April 25 and 26, 2023. The UN, AU, UK, US, EU, IGAD, and the EAC Secretariat are among the ATMIS TCCs and Development Partners that are anticipated to attend both the Ministerial Session and the Summit.
At least 3,500 AU soldiers have died in Somalia since 2007, while many more have been injured. Approximately 19,000 peacekeepers from ATMIS are now on duty in the nation. When Somali forces take over security duties in December 2024, the African Union intends to leave Somalia. The Summit’s conclusions will have a significant impact on how stability in the region and future peacekeeping initiatives are handled.