Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, stated that Somali forces are capable of resisting Al-Shabaab, even if the African Union’s AUSSOM forces withdraw from the country.
Fiqi said that government forces and the Somali public are jointly countering Al-Shabaab and will continue the fight against the group, regardless of the presence or departure of African Union troops.
“Al-Shabaab cannot capture even a single village if AUSSOM leaves Somalia,” Minister Fiqi said.
The Minister made these remarks at an awards ceremony in Mogadishu, organized by *Five Magazine*, honoring companies recognized as the best-performing in Somalia this year.
Fiqi also criticized unnamed politicians, accusing them of portraying Somalia to the international community as a collapsing state with poor security that is on the verge of being taken over by Al-Shabaab.
He stated that such rhetoric ignores the progress made by Somali forces and undermines the confidence of the public and the institutions working toward the country’s development. The minister’s remarks come at a time when the future of the AUSSOM mission—and the funding mechanism for the logistical support the United Nations provides to African Union forces in Somalia—remains uncertain.
The United States recently supported a one-year extension of UN logistical support for AUSSOM, alongside a gradual reduction of that assistance. However, a new financial framework to fully replace that support has not yet been announced.
AUSSOM—the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia—supports government forces in the fight against Al-Shabaab, the securing of key installations, and the protection of areas reclaimed from the group.
