Mogadishu: The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, extends his best wishes to the people and the government of Somalia during this holy month of Ramadan.

“As we enter into Ramadan today, we recall that this is the Holy month of fasting, spiritual reflection and worship, a month of demonstration of compassion and giving to the needy. May this period of Ramadan fill us with courage, strength and help us triumph over the challenges of life”, Ambassador Madeira said.

As we fast and offer prayers to the Almighty Allah, may all Somalis find peace and happiness during this holy month of Ramadan.

The SRCC appeals to all members of the community who can afford to help our needy brothers and sisters during the holy month of Ramadan, to do so and unite in the common fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

The Mission will continue working closely with the Federal Government and the good people of Somalia to make peace and stability a lasting reality in the country, Ambassador Madeira added.

_________________

For more information contact
Snr. Communications Officer or Force Spokesperson
Ms. Gifty Bingley or Lt. Col. Daniel Mugoro Muiruri,
Email: atmismediacenter@gmail.com
Cell phone: (Somalia) +252 617 682 175/+252 613 665 356; (Nairobi) +254 722 788 975

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Resolution 2628 (2022) (to be issued as document S/RES/2628 (2022)), adopted unanimously under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, encompasses the Council’s expectations for the Government of Somalia relating to facilitating the electoral process and assuming responsibility for national security; the need to counter al-Shabaab; the reconfiguration of AMISOM into the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia; the role of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS); requests for international financial support; and reporting requirements for the Government of Somalia and the African Union.

Download Resolution 2628 here

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1068TH MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

8 MARCH 2022

PSC/PR/COMM.1068(2022)

COMMUNIQUE 

REV.1 

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1068th meeting held on 8 March, 2022, on the reconfiguration of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), 

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions on the situation in Somalia and on AMISOM post-2021, particularly Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.1053(2021)], adopted at its 1053rd meeting held on 7 December, 2021; [PSC/PR/COMM.1042 (2021)] adopted at its 1042nd meeting held on 28 October, 2021 ; [PSC/PR/COMM. 1037(2021)] adopted at its 1037th meeting held on 7th October, 2021, and Communique [PSC/PR/COMM.2 (CMXCIV)], adopted at its 994th meeting held on 11 May 2021, as well as the Summary Records of its meetings held on 30 August, 2021 and on 30 July 2021, as well as United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2568 (2021); 

Noting the opening remarks made by the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the AU, and Chairperson of the PSC for the month of March 2022, H.E. Professor Mafa Sejanamane, and the statement by the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Bankole Adeoye; also noting the briefing by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission for Somalia and Head of AMISOM, H.E. Francisco Caetano Madeira, as well as the statements delivered by the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the African Union, H.E. Abdullahi Ahmed Jama, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) to the African Union and Head of the UN Office to the African Union, H.E. Hannah Tetteh and the European Union (EU) Ambassador to the AU, H.E. Birgitte Markussen; 

Determined to defeat Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups, restore lasting peace, security and stability, as well as political normalcy in Somalia; and 

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council, 

1. Re-affirms its unwavering commitment to continue to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political unity of the Federal Republic of Somalia and to promote national ownership of the transition process by the Government of Somalia; 

2. Pays tribute to AMISOM and its personnel for the achievements registered over the past fifteen years, including its role in the fight against terrorism, liberating territory from Al Shabaab and in creating an enabling environment for critical political and state-building processes to take place; and expresses condolences to the families of all deceased AMISOM personnel and wishes speedy recovery to all those nursing injuries from attacks from Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups in Somalia; 

3. Also pays special tribute to the AMISOM Troop and Police Contributing Countries (T/PCCs) for their continued commitment and sacrifices made since 2007 when the Mission was deployed in Somalia; namely, Republic of Benin, Republic of Burundi, Republic of Djibouti, Republic of Chad, Arab Republic of Egypt, Kingdom of Eswatini, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Ghana, Republic of Kenya, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Zambia and Republic of Zimbabwe; 

4. Commends and welcomes the steady progress made recently and the increased momentum towards the finalization of the elections process, and while urging the Federal Government of Somalia to expedite its completion in a transparent and inclusive manner and in the shortest possible time; 

5. Acknowledges the changing nature of the security threat in Somalia in the past fifteen years, as Al Shabaab has evolved from being primarily a military threat, to a more asymmetric and hybrid one, using insurgency tactics of a terrorist-cum-organized criminal group, which requires as a response, the reconfiguration of AMISOM to better adapt to the changing threat; 

6. In this context, decides to authorize the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, (ATMIS), to replace AMISOM with effect from 1 April 2022; 

7. Underlines that ATMIS shall entail a reconfiguration of AMISOM, and, in this regard, shall be guided by the Somali Transition Plan (STP), which outlines the process towards the gradual handover of security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces by December 2024; 

8. Stresses that the challenges facing Somalia requires a multifaceted and comprehensive approach to address the security, political and governance issues at the heart of the Somali crisis, and in this respect, ATMIS will be a full-fledged multidimensional mission to support the development of able, affordable and accountable Somali security forces and state institutions; 

9. Decides that ATMIS shall have the following mandate: 

a. degrade Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups; 

b. provide security to population centres and open the main supply routes; 

c. develop the capacity of the Somali Security Forces to enable them to take over security responsibilities by the end of the transition period, that is, December 2024; 

d. support peace and reconciliation efforts of the FGS; and 

e. help develop the capacity of the security, justice and local authority institutions of the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States; 

10. Endorses the AU-FGS Joint Concept of Operations, which identifies a four-phased approach to the transfer of security responsibilities to Somali Security Forces as follows: 

a) Phase I –Reconfiguration; 

b) Phase II – Joint shaping and clearing operations and the handing over of some Forward Operating Bases to Somali Security Forces; 

c) Phase III – Decisive operations and handing over of the remaining Forward Operating Bases; and 

d) Phase IV – withdrawal and liquidation of ATMIS; 

11. Also endorses the ATMIS strategic objectives, as defined in the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), as follows: 

a. conduct jointly planned and targeted operations with Somali Security Forces to degrade Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups; 

b. jointly hold key population centres and provide protection for local communities, UN personnel and installations, secure main supply routes, and coordinate stabilization, reconciliation and state-building activities with Somali Security Forces and government authorities; 

c. assist the FGS and the FMS in the delivery of stabilization packages as well as in facilitating humanitarian assistance to those in need; 

d. support capacity-building for Somali Security Forces, prioritizing force generation, operational competence, and logistical support capabilities; 

e. conduct all operations in full recognition of international obligations to International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, the AU Compliance and Accountability Framework for Peace Support Operations, and UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. In this context, ATMIS should strengthen its Civilian Casualty Tracking, Analysis and Response Cell (CCTARC) and reporting mechanism; 

f. promote greater gender parity and increased numbers of women at all levels of the mission, including leadership positions. 

g. undertake peacebuilding, post conflict reconstruction and development, and stabilization measures using the good offices of the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission and Head of ATMIS, including the African Union Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development Center in Cairo, Egypt; 

12. Agrees that, in order to undertake these key strategic tasks, AMISOM shall be reconfigured into ATMIS to: 

a. become more agile, more mobile, more flexible, and better able to respond to the emerging threats by enhancing its force protection and posture as well as by creating mobile and quick reaction forces; 

b. realign its mission components and deployments across ATMIS sectors to better execute its mandated tasks; 

c. adjust its equipment to match its operational tasks; 

d. adjust its logistical support to meet the requirements of ATMIS outlined in the CONOPs; and 

e. enhance its support to the Somali Security Forces to increase its capacity to take over security responsibilities; 

13. Further decides that ATMIS shall comprise military, police and civilian components, to facilitate implementation of its mandate in support of the STP, and that ATMIS shall be constituted by the current AMISOM civilian personnel and T/PCCs, as well as other interested AU Member States ; also decides that the mission shall be headed by a Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission for Somalia, to whom each component shall report separately; 

14. Also decides that the Force Commander shall come from the largest Troop Contributing Country and he/she should be empowered with clear command and control competencies over all the forces of the mission, and, in this regard, stresses the importance that all troops strictly adhere to the command and control structure of ATMIS, as well as to comply with International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, the AU Compliance and Accountability Framework for Peace Support Operations, and the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy for the prevention and response to allegations and/or violations, as well as all benchmarks for troop effectiveness; 

15. Underscores the need for the Federal Government of Somalia to fully and effectively support the implementation of the ATMIS mandate in particular with regard to force generation and cooperation with ATMIS in supporting capacity enhancement as well as governance and institution building processes; 

16. Underlines that the success of the mission will, to a large extent, depend on the appropriate staffing of all components and, in this regard, requests the Chairperson of the Commission to expedite the necessary recruitment processes, to ensure that the full staff complement of ATMIS is completed by the end of Phase I of the transition, that is by 31 December 2022; 

17. Requests the Commission, working closely with AMISOM, to establish an Integrated Task Force, including T/PCCs, to facilitate the reconfiguration of AMISOM to ATMIS during Phase 1 of the transition; 

18. Emphasizes that force generation by the Somali Security Forces will be key to the success of the mandate of ATMIS and to this end, urges the FGS to meet its commitments towards achieving the benchmarks and timelines as indicated in the CONOPs, and to ensure that it is able to generate the forces as appropriate for assuming incremental responsibility of security, including, inter alia, the generation of holding forces to take over Forward Operating Bases, alongside offensive forces tasked with clearing operations jointly with ATMIS; 

19. Stresses the need for building state institutions, particularly those related to countering terrorism including cutting sources of funding of terrorist groups, countering extremist ideologies and fighting organized crime; 

20. Recognizes that building strong and resilient national state institutions is key to achieving sustainable peace, security and stability, and in this regard; highlights the critical role of peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction and development programs and while re-emphasizing the importance of streamlining, as appropriate, such programs across relevant AU engagements in Somalia, including through the AU-PCRD Center in Cairo, Egypt; 

21. Endorses the AU-UN Joint Proposal on the Strategic Objectives, Size and Composition of a Reconfigured AU Mission in Somalia and takes note of the UN Logistics Support Plan submitted for the provision of logistical support to ATMIS and SSF, and therefore requests the UN, in consultation with the Commission and the FGS, to realign it fully with the ATMIS CONOPs; underscores, in this context, that, as ATMIS reconfigures, there will be need for a corresponding reconfiguration of the UN Support Office to Somalia (UNSOS), in a manner that takes into account the unique requirements for provision of effective integrated logistical support to ATMIS and SSF, which puts in place mechanisms to ensure a speedy response to the logistical requirements for high-tempo offensive operations; 

22. Commends the African Union Commission, the United Nations Secretariat, the European Union Commission and the Federal Government of Somalia for the positive engagements and consultations in preparation of the AU-UN Joint Proposal on the Strategic Objectives, Size and Composition of a Reconfigured AU Mission in Somalia; 

23. Decides, in line with the CONOPs that, during Phase I, ATMIS military component shall maintain the current AMISOM size of 18,586 troops, and that the first drawdown of 2000 troops will take place by 31 December 2022, following the reconfiguration of the mission to ensure greater agility, mobility and a more offensive force posture; in the same context, Council also decides that the police component shall maintain its current strength of 1040 until the drawdown and liquidation of the mission by 31 December 2024; 

24. calls upon the UN to continue providing logistical support to the current authorised 70 civilian personnel up to 31 December 2022 and requests the UN to increase logistics support for an additional 15 civilian personnel at the end of Phase I, – starting from 1 January 2023, in order to facilitate enhanced implementation of the STP from Phase II of the transition process, including focusing on stabilization and post-conflict reconstruction and development; reconciliation; election processes; assisting the FGS to attain its objective of one person one vote by the next elections to be organized in 2025/26; preventing and combating violent extremism; as well as humanitarian liaison and facilitation; 

25. Underscores the critical importance of additional force multipliers and force enablers for the reconfiguration and transfer of security responsibilities to the SSF and, in this regard, requests ATMIS and the Commission, working in collaboration with the FGS and the UN, to complete the mission equipment review, as soon as possible, to finalise the ATMIS Status of Unit Requirements (SUR) and identify the necessary enablers, multipliers, and needed equipment, and engage with countries that can provide these specialized capabilities, in order to effectively address the operational and strategic needs on the ground; 

26. Also underscores that, as ATMIS commences operations, there will be need for a corresponding reconfiguration of UNSOS, in a manner that takes into account the unique requirements for provision of logistical support to ATMIS, which puts in place mechanisms to ensure a speedy response to the logistical requirements for high-tempo offensive operations, and stresses the need for greater transparency and accountability with regard to the budget and funds allocated to ATMIS in the UNSOS support package; 

27. Emphasizes the critical role of Somalia’s international partners in ensuring successful transition of security responsibility to Somalia by supporting the Somali Security Forces in the process of force generation, including provision of required training equipment and logistical support; and in this regard, requests ATMIS, the FGS and UNSOS to put in place a coordination mechanism to assist in expediting mobilization and utilization of the additional forces to be generated as per the SSF force generation plan and targets outlined in the CONOPs; 

28. Re-affirms the critical importance of sustainable and predictable financing, at adequate levels and for the full duration of the mission from 1 April, 2022 up to 31 December, 2024, to the overall success of ATMIS in attaining its strategic objectives and in this regard, appeals to the UN, European Union and other partners to establish a financial support package, including through UN assessed contributions, taking into consideration the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security; 

29. Welcomes the outcomes of the Cairo Retreat on Post-2021 arrangements in Somalia held in January 2022, organized by the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, which provided a platform for technical discussions on the future AU Mission in Somalia; 

30. Further requests the Chairperson of the Commission to submit quarterly reports to Council on the implementation of ATMIS mandate, including the report of the assessment to be facilitated by the Quartet (AU-FGS-UN-EU) Technical Teams every six months, which should include the steps taken by the FGS and international partners in implementing the CONOPs; 

31. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to urgently transmit this communique to the United Nations Security Council for authorization of the ATMIS and also to the European Union for required support to ATMIS; 

32. Underscores the need to maintain AMISOM’s legacy and requests the Commission to undertake a study on lessons learned on AMISOM and its activities over the past 15 years to identify and document good practices that can be utilized by AU Peace Support Operations, including ATMIS, in the implementation of their respective mandates; and 

33. Decides to remain seized of the matter. 

PSC/PR/COMM.1068(2022) – Download here

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Ms. Lortan takes a wealth of experience to the position and will play an important role in the transition phase of the African Union’s commitment to ensuring a stable and secure Somalia.

She joined the African Union Commission in May 2002 and has worked in various roles in ensuring Peace and Security around the continent. She was most recently the Acting Director for Conflict Management in the Political Affairs Peace and Security Department (PAPS) and worked assiduously on AMISOM. She previously worked in Khartoum, Sudan, as a member of the AU High Level Implementation Panel on Sudan and South Sudan, headed by former South Africa President, President Thabo Mbeki.

The African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, underscored the importance of the next few months for AMISOM as the mandate ends on 31st March 2022.

“I would like to thank Ms. Fiona Lortan, for accepting the role as Deputy SRCC during this interim period. Among many other tasks, she will work to help the African Union to deliver on all that is required to end AMISOM and follow through on ongoing preparations for the mandate,  composition,  size,  and  structure  of  a  proposed  new  mission  in  Somalia,” Ambassador Adeoye explained.

Ms. Lortan is a South African national and has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Philosophy degrees in Social and Political Theory from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban, South Africa and the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

————————

For more information contact
Snr. Communications Officer or Force Spokesperson
Ms. Gifty Bingley or Lt. Col. Daniel Mugoro Muiruri,
Email: au-amisomhom@africa-union.org
Cell phone: (Somalia) +252 617 682 175/+252 613 665 356; (Nairobi) +254 722 788 975

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PRESS RELEASE

Mogadishu, 13th November 2021—As a follow up to the Board of Inquiry that investigated allegations of civilian casualties in Goloweyn on 10^th August 2021, by AMISOM soldiers, the Government of the Republic of Uganda, as the Troop Contributing Country to which the implicated soldiers belong, established a Court Martial in Mogadishu, Somalia, to try the accused soldiers.

After sitting from 2-12^th November 2021 and reviewing all the facts including witness statements, the Court Martial on 12^th November 2021, found the soldiers guilty of killing the civilians.

Two of the soldiers were sentenced to death while the other three were each sentenced to 39 years in prison.

They will be repatriated from Somalia to Uganda to serve their sentences.

“As soldiers, we have a responsibility to protect lives and property. Our mission in Somalia is to degrade Al-Shabaab and other armed groups. In doing so, we absolutely have every responsibility to protect the civilian population, and this is very clear in our Rules of Engagement,” said the Ugandan People Defence Force Contingent and AMISOM Sector 1 Commander, Brig. Gen. Don Nabasa.

The AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya, said, “As a Military component of AMISOM, we will, among our ranks, continue to ensure strict compliance with our obligations as we carry on with the task of pursuing and degrading Al-Shabaab, ISIS and other likeminded armed groups, as well as protecting population centers and securing critical infrastructure and sensitive sites in Somalia”.

The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Francisco Madeira, thanked the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Federal Government of Somalia for their co-operation and support. Ambassador Madeira deeply regrets the killing of the civilians and has, once again, conveyed his and AMISOM’s condolences to the bereaved families for the tragic incident.

“As a Mission, AMISOM remains deeply committed to the cause of peace, security and stability in Somalia and the protection of the local population in strict respect of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Human Rights Law, and AMISOM rules of Engagement. All these instruments are part and parcel of our core values and mandate,” said Ambassador Madeira.

———————–

For more information contact
Snr. Communications Officer or Force Spokesperson
Ms. Gifty Bingley or Lt. Col. Daniel Mugoro Muiruri,
Email: au-amisomhom@africa-union.org
Cell phone: (Somalia) +252 617 682 175/+252 613 665 356; (Nairobi) +254 722 788 975

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AMISOM’s original mandates & its evolution

Paragraph 8 of the 2007 AU PSC Communique mandated AMISOM to, amongst others:

“(i) provide support to the TFIs in their efforts towards the stabilisation of the situation in the country and the furtheranceof dialogue and reconciliation, (ii) facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance, and (iii) create conducive conditions for long-term stabilisation, reconstruction and development in Somalia’

The UNSC mirrored the mandate of the AU through its Resolution 1744 of February 2007.

Although the mandates of AMISOM have evolved over the years, the obligations to protect Federal institutions and help them carry out their functions of Government, support dialogue and reconciliation, protect civilians, critical infrastructure and sensitive sites, facilitate the provision of humanitarian supplies and support stabilisation activities, have remained recurrent themes of the AMISOM mandate.

Achievements of AMISOM

As AMISOM begins its terminal drawdown and exit from Somalia, it is fit and proper to outline, within the constraints of an Op-Ed of this nature, some of its key achievements:

• AMISOM was vital in protecting the transitional Government and the ensuing Somali Federal Governments;
• AMISOM has degraded Al Shabab and pushed the bulk of its forces from Mogadishu and from all other liberated areas across the sectors;
• AMISOM helped expand humanitarian access and provided various forms of relief to a significant number of Somalis;
• Side by side with the Somali Security forces, AMISOM still provides the security foundation on which all other international actors depend in order to operate in Somalia in relative safety.

On the eve of AMISOM deployment to Somalia in 2007, south central Somalia was in the throes of various entities and warlords laying claim to different parts of the country. Repeated outbreaks of conflicts in Mogadishu resulted in the death of many civilians and displacement of others. Indeed, most of the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI), including the Transitional Federal Parliament, were based outside Mogadishu, in Baidoa town, 80 km to the west. For these reasons, therefore, some of the most visible, stabilising, and far-reaching achievements of AMISOM have been the recapture of various swathes of territory hitherto under the control of Al-Shabaab (AS) and various other Armed Opposition Groups (AOGs) and the expansion of territorial space in which the Government and its institutions could project their authority, continue dialogue and reconciliation efforts and carry out their functions of government.

After the initial standoff between AMISOM and the AOGs in 2007-2010 (due, largely, to issues surrounding predictable logistical support to the Mission and the limited number of AMISOM troops), from 2010, AMISOM began the process of capturing cities and towns then under the control of AS. The following major offensive operations were undertaken: Panua Eneo (2011); Free Shabelle, Eagles (March 2014), Indian Ocean (November 2014), Ocean Build (Nov 2014-July 2015), Juba Corridor (July 2015), Badbaado 1a and 1b (2018-2019). These operations led to the recovery of vast majority of towns and cities in Somalia, allowing governance, economic, social, and political activities to thrive in the country.

AMISOM also made significant contributions to the capacitation of the Somali Police Force (SPF) through institutional and individual capacity building of the SPF by way of training, mentoring, advising, and initiating Quick Impact Projects (QIPs). The SPF has benefitted and continue to benefit from operational support from the component via joint patrols and securing various elections. AMISOM efforts in this regard has led to an improved law and order situation and enhancement of collaboration between the Police and Somali communities.

Whilst the recovery of the towns and cities listed above grabbed headlines, they were indeed means to loftier ends. The desired end state of the AU in Somalia has always been to help bring peace and stability to the country, promote dialogue, reconciliation and inclusivity and consolidate progress towards achieving a secure, united, peaceful, democratic and developed country, with empowered and accountable Somali Security Forces (SSF) capable of taking full responsibility for national security and the protection of the country and its citizens. To this extent, therefore, what happened after recoveries is arguably more critical than the recoveries themselves. AMISOM has played important roles in various political, reconciliation and state building processes, culminating in the creation of additional Federal Member States (FMS) in Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South-West and Jubaland together with the establishment of Banadir Regional Administration in the Mogadishu municipality. AMISOM has supported relevant line ministries through a good number of institutional capacity building activities, Quick Impact Projects, gender mainstreaming, protection issues and guidance on International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. AMISOM activities in this regard have further consolidated Somalia’s drive towards state building and federalism and the bringing of dividends of democracy closer to the people at the grassroots levels.

Challenges & Lesson Learnt for the New Mission

Despite the successes of AMISOM, considerable challenges have hindered its operations, which should, and are attracting the attention of the AU, UN, the FGS and partners as they plot the course of a replacement Mission for AMISOM.

The enhancement of the ‘AMISOM Model’ to suit a transition Mission engaged in asymmetric war fighting

The ‘AMISOM Model’ puts the UN ‘Regional Arrangement’ principle and complementarity into practice whereby the AU, which provides troops and other human resources for AMISOM, is able to access the UN Assessed Contribution for the provision of logistical support to AMISOM through UNSOS, whilst the EU pays the stipends of AMISOM uniformed personnel and salaries of its civilian component. Over the years, AMISOM and the UN leadership have managed to forge a relationship of mutual understanding to discharge their respective mandates. Yet, challenges of dispensing logistical supplies in a big theatre of operations like Somalia, remain. Sustainable solutions ought to be found to this issue in a prompt, efficient and suitable manner, for the coming Mission.

Provision of appropriate level of enablers and multipliers to enhance operational efficiency of the new Mission

Over the years, AS has demonstrated resilience and uncanny capacity to adapt and reinvent itself. Unlike in its earlier incarnation, its modus operandi over the last 8 years or so, has been to engage AMISOM and SNA troops in asymmetric warfare, especially through the laying of IEDs (their weapon of choice) on Main Supply Routes and carrying out kinetic operations in built-up locations, leading to civilian casualties. To mitigate this, the new Mission must enhance its counter IED capability, its ability to collect and process information, and its capacity to apply the elements of speed and surprise when acting on real time actionable intelligence availed.  Right type and adequate quantity of enablers and multipliers will be required to give the Mission’s armed component the flexibility, agility and mobility it needs to succeed in its targeted and other planned operations.

Importance of force generation

The Government is working on the imperative of having accountable, acceptable, capable and professional Somali National Security Forces to take over security responsibilities from the AU troops. The FGS has put together such key documents as the ‘Somali Compact’, the Somalia ‘National Security Architecture’ and the ‘Somalia Transition Plan’(STP). All these documents, and others, have, as part of their key provisions, the need for force generation and professionalisation of the SNA. The achievements made around force generation should be consolidated over the next few months, so that transfer of security responsibly to SSF is achieved within the projected timeframe of the new Mission.

Multiplied effort must be mobilised to ensure that the successful implementation of the Somalia Transition Plan through the current multipronged and integrated approach, is effectively achieved and leads to a gradual but steady transfer of full security responsibilities to the Somali authorities as they continue to enhance the capacity of Somali Security Forces to hold, protect, preserve and expand the territorial gains so far accumulated. Efforts towards state consolidation through institutional capacity building expansion of stabilisation activities and extension of state authority through inclusive politics and reconciliation should make for a transition that we all aim for.

The Somali problem is complex and political in nature, clearly requiring a comprehensive and multifaceted approach and intervention to solve. The effectiveness of the New AU Mission in Somalia will, to a large extent, depend on its ability to harness synergies and enhance its capacity to intervene in support of this effort. Securing assured, adequate and predictable funding for its operations, continued presence and access to suitable equipment is pivotal.

Transition is a complex process.  The friends of Somalia and all the stakeholders involved in helping the country recover peace and achieve reconciliation and development, must remain focused, pull together complementarily and united in their common purpose. There should be a clear division of labour, transparency in the implementation of tasks and commitments, improved coordination and coherence, enhanced information sharing and mutual accountability.

Ambassador Francisco Caetano Madeira is the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Head of Mission. He tweets at @AmbFMadeira

This story was first published at accord.or.za

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