📷 EU hails Uganda, AU for peace, security efforts in Somalia

KAMPALA - Jan Sadek, the head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Uganda has hailed the 'immense contribution' of Uganda and the African Union to the peace efforts in Somalia.

"We pay tribute to sacrifices made by African Union troops since 2007, " he said, adding the "progress we see today would not have been possible" without their effort. 

He said the biggest task now for partners is to ensure predictable financing and to continue investing in political settlements that would guarantee long-term peace.

British High Commissioner to Uganda Lisa Chesney MBE and EU Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Jan Sadek during the summit. (All Photos by Miriam Namutebi)

U.S. Ambassador to Uganda William W. Popp.

Sadek shared the commendation during the extraordinary meeting of the troop-contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSSOM) plus Somalia at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, on Thursday.

Participants at the four-day meeting that commenced on Tuesday in Kampala include delegations from Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, as well as development partners, including the European Union and the United Kingdom.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of the expiry of the mandate of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) ending on 31 December 2024, which gave way to the AU-led AUSSSOM.

Some of the guests at the summit.

Roselinda Soipan Tuya, EGH Cabinet Secretary for Defence Kenya.

He added the EU believes that the " hybrid implementation of UNSC 2719" is the only pathway to sustainable and predictable funding for AUSSOM.

"We echo the call of AU, the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council for its implementation," he said.

UN Security Council Resolution 2719, passed in December 2023, provides for predictable and sustainable financing for African Union (AU) )–led peace support operations (PSOs).

AU Commission Chairperson, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

Ugandan security minister Jackson Oboth Oboth (second left) chats with some of the delegates during the summit.

Whereas the resolution only provided for funding of up to 75% of the annual budget of an AU-led Peace Support Operation (PSO), the UN Security Council committed itself, that where there are significant shortfalls in resource mobilization, it would consider all viable options to bridge the gap.

Saddek said the EU remains committed to Somalia, adding that in the past decades, they have been the single biggest contributor to peace efforts in the country based on shared responsibility with over €4.9b.

Uganda was the first country to contribute troops to the Somalia peace efforts under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), with over 6,000 troops in 2007, and maintains thousands more under AUSSOM.

However, despite AUSSOM's importance amid the undeterred resistance from Al Shabaab, the peace efforts continue to face several operational challenges, including dwindling funding. 

According to Bankole Adeoye, the head of political affairs, peace and security at the African Union, AUSSOM has a total staff of 11,146 men and women serving in the force. T

They need a total of $15m to operate for a month, but currently have only $16m for a whole year.

_____________________

Participants at the four-day meeting that commenced on Tuesday in Kampala include delegations from Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, as well as development partners, including the European Union and the United Kingdom. Below is a picture highlight as taken by Vision Group's Miriam Namutebi;