Ugandan gov’t presided over the 1287 Meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (PSC) in which Somalia’s security situation and the future of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM) were debated. The technical and political meeting was held virtually and was attended by senior officials from Somalia, African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union (EU) and other EU member countries.
The meeting was officially launched by Ugandan Foreign Minister, Lt. Gen. Abubkahar Jeje Odongo. He demonstrated a profound respect to the Ugandan soldiers who lost their lives after a military helicopter they were onboard crashed at Adden Adde Int’l Airport on July 2, 2025. He pointed out that they were brave soldiers who put their lives in the line for the unity and peace in Africa.
He conveyed his sincere condolences to the bereaved families. He confirmed that Uganda is committed to support the overall peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. The discussions in the meeting focused on the constant threat posed by extremists like Al-Shabab to the security in Somalia. They demonstrated the bravery of the Somali National Army (SNA) and those of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) who are based in the country and are defending the vulnerable communities who are engaged clashes against the militant group of Al-Shabab.
The officials who attended the high-level meeting commended AUSSOM soldiers who put their lives in the line particularly the fallen Ugandan soldiers in Somalia. They showed their support to the Somali populace and the security agencies which are tasked to maintain the security on regular basis. The Peace and Security Council talked about the financial constraints impeding AUSSOM operations.
They have unanimously agreed to increase the finance for the Crisis Reserve Facility (CRF) to $ 20 Million annually in order to boost the usefulness of the operations. The PCS called on to strengthen the cooperation with Int’l partners. They have called on to hold a special meeting to mobilize the resources in order to deal with existing shortcomings pertaining to the investments. During the meeting, they focused on the need to harmonize the security with political and cultural efforts.
Members of the Council showed the importance to expedite the reform of inclusive authority in order to strengthen the dialogue between the Federal Gov’t, Federal Member States and to promote the reconstruction and development efforts which the community spearheaded in order to ensure lasting peace.
Finally, Ugandan FM reiterated that his country still stands up to fully cooperate with all governments that are members of the African Union (AU), the Somali Federal Gov’t, and the int’l community in order to build Somalia which is peaceful, stable and unified. He reaffirmed that they will not retreat. He also pledged that Uganda will continue its diplomatic and peacekeeping role in the region. This is the fifth that Uganda is leading the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. Uganda has been chairing the PSC for the thirteenth year including two years in which it was re-elected to the council.
