Regional leaders to meet in Uganda over peacekeeping mission in Somalia

Leaders of countries contributing troops to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia are set to meet in Uganda to discuss the achievements made so far and plans to start withdrawing from Somalia.

The leaders will evaluate the achievements made in the implementation of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) mandate and review the drawdown plan in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions to extend authorization until June 2023 and exit by Dec. 31, 2024, Ugandan military said in a statement Monday.

The statement said technical officials from troop-contributing countries to the ATMIS had already arrived in the country to prepare for the heads-of-state summit, which will take place Thursday.

The summit follows a meeting by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni last December.

According to the statement, Julius Kivuna, who is the head of the Ugandan delegation, called upon experts to discuss and come up with workable recommendations to support “the smooth and peaceful drawdown process of the ATMIS Troops.”

Kivuna also commended the regional countries for their efforts to build peace in Somalia. “These efforts have led to a number of achievements, including saving lives, improved infrastructure, and social services that have greatly improved the lives and livelihoods of our brothers and sisters in Somalia,” Kivuna said.

The ATMIS was created when the African Union reconfigured the AU Mission in Somalia jointly with the Somali government. Following the reconfiguration, the ATMIS became operational on April 1, 2022. Since then, it has been working to prepare the Somali security forces to take over responsibility for security in the country by 2024. Enditem