Somalia insists No to Ethiopia Inclusion in AUSSOM Mission

The Federal Government of Somalia has insisted that Ethiopia be excluded from the new AUSSOM mission because it stood with the illegal agreement a violation of the independence, sovereignty and unity of the federal government of Somalia.

Somalia issued conditions to Ethiopia for its inclusion in the new African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which is set to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATIMIS) in January 2025.

According to close confidant sources the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia are discussing the new plans of the AUSSOM mission, which will lead to the final decision to remove all Ethiopia forces from the mission.

Relations between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa deteriorated earlier this year when Ethiopia signed an illegal agreement with Somaliland, a self-declared independent state. Through this agreement, Ethiopia seeks access to the Red Sea and plans to establish a military base which the federal government of Somalia rejected the Ethiopia ambition.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made trip to meet Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the three leaders met in Asmara to discuss on bolstering the ties between the three countries as well as matters of regional security and stability.

The National Security Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hussein Ma’allin, who has participated in the tripartite meetings between Somalia, the African Union and the United Nations, has reinforced the decision to block Ethiopia from joining the new mission starting in 2025.

Ethiopia has some troops in Somalia operating in the name The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia while others have not registered for that mission, the purpose of their presence in the country is not known.

Updates to follow