African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia

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African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia
Hawlgalka Taageerada iyo Xasilinta Midowga Afrika ee Soomaaliya
LeadersHead of AUSSOM Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef
Dates of operation1 January 2025 – present
Headquarters Mogadishu
AlliesFlag of Somalia.svg Somalia
OpponentsAQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Al-Shabaab
Battles and wars Somali Civil War
Preceded by
Flag of the African Union.svg ATMIS

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) will serve as the African Union's new peacekeeping and stabilization operation in Somalia. [1] Succeeding the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), that operated from 2022 to 2024, AUSSOM began on 1 January 2025 and is headed by Mohamed El Amine. [2]

Contents

Overview

In early 2007, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) was deployed following an Ethiopian invasion aimed at toppling a nascent Islamic government and installing the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The goal of the AU operation was to aid the Ethiopians in propping up TFG and while offering Ethiopian troops an exit strategy as their presence was inflaming a growing insurgency, which the militant group Al-Shabaab was becoming a major part of. [3] 15 years after its deployment AMISOM shifted to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), with the goal of handing over complete security responsibility over to Somali government forces.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council approved the creation of AUSSOM on 1st August, 2024, [4] [5] with plans to start the mission in 2025, [6] after ATMIS’ withdrawal on 31 December, 2024. [7] [8] Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has actively sought to rally support from former ATMIS contributors, encouraging them to participate in AUSSOM. [9]

Ethiopian–Somali conflict

Financial constraints and rising tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia following the signing of Ethiopia's Memorandum of Understanding with Somaliland will possibly delay the transition. The international community has been divided on financial support for the missions new structure. [10]

On 27 December 2024, soon thereafter, the United Nations Security Council approves the Resolution 2767 deployment of this mission effective on 1 January 2025, replacing the current African Union Transition Mission in Somalia. [11] It is currently unclear if Ethiopia will be allowed to participate in the operation, [12] as Ethiopian troops were excluded from the new AUSSOM initiative due to repeated incidents in which their forces allegedly violated Somalia’s sovereignty. [13] As of 2 January 2025, Somalia is considering reversing the decision to exclude the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) from AUSSOM. That same day the Ethiopian Minister of Defense traveled to Mogadishu for discussions on the AU mission. Somalia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ali Balcad, stated in an interview with Bloomberg News, “Given that the contentious issues between Somalia and Ethiopia have been resolved through the Ankara Declaration, Somalia is ready to reconsider the inclusion of the Ethiopian National Defense Force in the upcoming AUSSOM mission,” [14] [15] [16]

Responses

Former ATMIS/AMISOM members

Other States

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Armed Forces</span>

The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Civil War</span> Ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa

The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed Forces began engaging in combat against various armed rebel groups, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in the northeast, the Somali National Movement in the Somaliland War of Independence in the northwest, and the United Somali Congress in the south. The clan-based armed opposition groups overthrew the Barre government in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Courts Union</span> Somalian legal and political organization (2000–2009)

The Islamic Courts Union was a legal and political organization founded by Mogadishu-based Sharia courts during the early 2000s to combat the lawlessness stemming from the Somali Civil War. By mid-to-late 2006, the Islamic Courts had expanded their influence to become the de facto government in most of southern and central Somalia, succeeding in creating the first semblance of a state since 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharif Sheikh Ahmed</span> President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is a Somali politician who served as the 7th President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012. Before his presidency, he led the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from 2004 to 2007, a coalition of Sharia courts aiming to restore law and order in Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transitional Federal Government of Somalia</span> Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2012

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012, when its tenure officially ended and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was inaugurated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Somalia (2006–2009)</span> Armed conflict in the Horn of Africa

The Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, also known as the Ethiopian occupation of Somalia or the Ethiopian intervention in the Somali Civil War, was an armed conflict that lasted from late 2006 to early 2009. It began when military forces from Ethiopia, supported by the United States, invaded Somalia to depose the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and install the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The conflict continued after the invasion when an anti-Ethiopian insurgency emerged and rapidly escalated. During 2007 and 2008, the insurgency recaptured the majority of territory lost by the ICU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union Mission to Somalia</span> Intervention force in Somalia 2007-2022

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a Multinational force formed by the African Union. The operation deployed to Somalia soon after the Islamic Courts Union was deposed by troops from Ethiopia during a large scale invasion in late 2006. The missions primary objective was to maintain the regime change between the ICU and the newly installed Transitional Federal Government, implement a national security plan and train the TFG security forces. As part of its duties, AMISOM later supported the Federal Government of Somalia in its war against Al-Shabaab. AMISOM was the most deadly peacekeeping operation in the post-war era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian–Somali conflict</span> Territorial and political dispute

The Ethiopian–Somali conflict is a territorial and political dispute between Ethiopia, Somalia, and insurgents in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia</span> Political party

The Alliance for the Re–liberation of Somalia (ARS) was a political party formed in Eritrea during September 2007 as the successor to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) during the Ethiopian military occupation of Somalia. It served as the principal political opposition to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and participated in the 2007 and 2008 years of the insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 timeline of the Somali Civil War</span>

The 2009 timeline of events in the Somalia War (2006–2009) during January 2009 is set out below. From the beginning of February the timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present) is set out following the conclusion of the previous phase of the civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Civil War (2009–present)</span> Ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa since 2009

The Somali Civil War (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali Civil War which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Shabaab militants who pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda during 2012.

Bulo Marer is a town in the southwestern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. It was a base of Al-Shabaab, and was the site of an ill-fated 2013 military operation during which French commandos attempted to free a French hostage that was being held by the insurgent group. The town was taken by Somali government forces assisted by AMISOM troops after a battle on August 30, 2014. It was the site of the 2024 African Union base attack in Bulo Marer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mogadishu (2010–2011)</span>

The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopia–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Ethiopia–Somalia relations are bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. These relations are characterized by the land border shared by the two countries and a number of military conflicts in past years.

Events in the year 2022 in Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union Transition Mission in Somalia</span> Peacekeeping mission

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is a former African Union transition and drawdown mission from peacekeeping operations in Somalia. Formerly the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), which began in 2007 and operated until 2022, the goal of ATMIS was to fully transition security operations to the Somali National Armed Forces. The operation consisted of troops from the East African nations of Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti, and Uganda.

The battle of Buulo Mareer took place on 26 May 2023, when Al-Shabaab fighters stormed an African Union military camp manned by Ugandan forces in the town of Bulo Marer, Lower Shabelle, Somalia.

Events in the year 2024 in Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 timeline of the Somali Civil War</span> African civil war timeline

This is a 2024 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional crisis in Somalia</span> 2023 constitutional crisis involving Puntland

A constitutional crisis developed in Somalia when the Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, changed the Constitution of Somalia on April 30, 2024. The change was strongly opposed by the President of Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, and as a direct result, Puntland withdrew its recognition of the Federal Government of Somalia and declared itself an independent state based on Article 4 of the Puntland Constitution.

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