Your Excellency – the Minister of Defence,
Excellencies,
Representatives of the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalum Alaikum a rahmatullahi wa barakatuh!
Today we mark the first anniversary since the African Union jointly with the Federal Government of Somalia reconfigured the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) into the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Following the reconfiguration, ATMIS became operational on 1 April 2022, effectively replacing AMISOM.
As ATMIS, we are mandated under the AU Peace and Security Council communiqué 1068 (2022) and the UN Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670 (2022), to support the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan (STP). This will end with our exit in December 2024.
The transition, which requires the transfer of security responsibility to Somali Security Forces is already underway, in accordance with the STP and the joint FGS-ATMIS Concept of Operations (CONOPS) documents.
ATMIS has executed its mandate over the last year with the support of international partners including UNSOM, UNSOS, the European Union, the United States, Turkey, and UAE among others. Our international partners and Somalia’s Federal Government deserve special recognition for the contribution and support that they continue offering the Mission. In this regard, I would like to reaffirm ATMIS’s support to the Federal Government and the good people of Somalia that we stand in solidarity with the communities facing the hardships of droughts and floods, and those displaced by wars.
I would like to salute, in a special way, the contribution of the ATMIS Troop and Police Contributing Countries (TCCs/PCCs), particularly the sacrifices made by our gallant soldiers in restoring peace and stability in Somalia. Our men and women have successfully battled the Khawarij and regained territories, a brave effort that has cost some of them their precious lives.
An overview of the situation in the ATMIS Areas of Responsibility (AoR) in the past year shows a decrease in Khawarij activities with the security situation remaining calm. However, we cannot afford to lower our guard since the Khawarij remain the greatest threat to Somalia’s peace and stability. Due to cowardice, the Khawarij have resorted to asymmetrical warfare targeting civilians and security forces. However, I believe the ongoing military offensive by ATMIS forces, and the Somali National Army will prevail, and the terrorists will soon have nowhere to hide.
We urge all peace-loving Somalis to continue working closely with the security forces to help the country achieve long-term peace and security.
I thank you.