Somalia excludes Ethiopian troops from new AU peacekeeping mission

The Somali government has confirmed that Ethiopian troops will not be included in the African Union’s new peacekeeping mission in Somalia, set to replace the outgoing African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

As ATMIS winds down and transitions to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), Mogadishu remains firm in its decision to exclude Ethiopian forces.

This marks a significant shift in the longstanding peacekeeping framework, where Ethiopia has played a key role for more than 15 years, with thousands of its soldiers engaged in the fight against the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The new mission is expected to operate for a four-year period.

The Somali government has expressed a preference for Egyptian involvement in AUSSOM.

This stance comes amid strained Ethiopian-Egyptian relations due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project, which Egypt views as a potential threat to its share of Nile waters.

Mogadishu’s grievances with Ethiopia extend beyond the dam dispute.

Earlier this year, Ethiopia signed an agreement granting access to a Somaliland port, which Somalia claims infringes on its sovereignty.

Somalia considers Somaliland part of its territory and has accused Ethiopia of undermining its territorial integrity.

Somalia’s Defence Minister, Abdukadir Mohamed Nur, made the announcement through the national news agency SONNA, stating: “We can confirm that Ethiopian forces will not be part of the new AU mission set to commence operations in 2025, as Ethiopia has violated our territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The list of countries contributing troops to AUSSOM will be disclosed in due course.

During the ATMIS mission, troops were contributed by Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

It remains unclear if the African Union will officially sanction Ethiopia’s exclusion from AUSSOM.