Mogadishu, 28 November 2023- The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), on Tuesday presented a range of office supplies, equipment and furniture to Somalia’s Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation to help them improve on service delivery.
Presenting the items, the African Union Special Representative for Somalia, and Head of ATMIS, Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef said: “ATMIS’ Mandate is to support Somalia and its people in peace and security through various stabilisation activities and we remain committed to this. We hope these office supplies will ease the work of the Ministry and improve service delivery.’’
He said that the presentation was facilitated with funding from the Italian government through the ATMIS Quick Impact Project (QIPs) which provides rapid relief and support for small scale projects.
Amb.Souef appealed to all stakeholders, especially the international community, to support governance, reconciliation, and community projects in newly liberated areas to ensure a smooth transfer of security responsibilities from ATMIS to the FGS.
The Senior Civil Affairs Officer for ATMIS who also manages QIPs, Dr. Opiyo Ododa, said ATMIS remains committed to its strategic objectives and will continue to support the Federal Government of Somalia to implement stabilisation and recovery initiatives for newly recovered areas in coordination with other stabilisation actors.
The Deputy Minister of Interior, Federal Affairs, and reconciliation, Abdihakim Askir, thanked ATMIS for the donation and the continued support to ensuring a secure, stable and progressive Somalia.
“ATMIS has played a very positive role in Somalia. Since the arrival of the African Union forces in 2007, many areas including the capital Mogadishu which were under Al Shabaab control have been liberated and security restored,” said the Deputy Minister.
Also present during the handover was the FGS Senior Stabilization Coordinator and Comprehensive Approach to Security (CAS) Strand 3 Focal Person, Ramadan Elmi, who assured ATMIS of cooperation, coordination and information sharing on stabilisation and early recovery activities.