AFRICAN UNION (AU), TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES (TCCs) TO AMISOM AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON SOMALIA - 2 JUNE 2010

AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANAa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P.O.Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 551 38 22 Fax: (251-11) 551 93 21 Email: oau-ews@telecom.net.et PRESS RELEASE OF THE CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF THE AFRICAN UNION (AU), TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES (TCCs) TO AMISOM AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON SOMALIA, ADDIS ABABA, 2 JUNE 2010 1. In line with the decision taken at the Consultative Meeting of the African Union Commission, Ministers of Defence of AMISOM Troop Contributing Countries and Partners held in Addis Ababa on 17 February 2010, held a meeting at the AU Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday 2 June 2010, under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security. The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Defence of the TCCs to AMISOM, namely Burundi and Uganda, as well as the State Minister of Interior of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, the Representative of the Minister of Defense of Ethiopia (current Chair of IGAD) and the Minister of Defense of Djibouti. The United Nations, IGAD Office of the Facilitator for Somalia, as well as the European Union, the Chair of the IGAD Partners’ Forum, the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, Malawi, in its capacity as the Chair of the AU, and Nigeria participated in the meeting. 2. The meeting received briefings on, and reviewed recent developments in Somalia, in particular with regard to the political, security and the status of capacity building and training programmes, equipment and sustenance of the Somali National Security Forces and the challenges that these present to AMISOM. In this context, the meeting welcomed the signing of the Framework of Cooperation Agreement between the TFG and the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a[ASWJ] on 15 March 2010, in Addis Ababa at the AU Headquarters. The Agreement calls on the ASWJ to join the TFG forces and the inclusion of ASWJ in Government, as part of the power-sharing arrangement. The meeting noted the progress made in the implementation of the Agreement, noting that in this regard, the parties have since established three Joint Committees for that purpose. The appointment, by the President of the TFG of an ASWJ commander as the new Deputy Chief of Staff of the Somali National Security Forces, is ample testimony by the TFG of its commitment to the letter and spirit of the Djibouti Agreement calling for inclusiveness in governance, peace and national reconciliation. The meeting also urged the parties to act with speed and implement the Agreement in order to maintain the momentum and stressed the need for the international community to provide support. 3. Furthermore, the meeting noted with encouragement the TFG’s sustained outreach to other Somali stakeholders, as evidenced by its signing of an agreement, 1

on 12 April 2010, with the semi-autonomous region of Puntland with a view to strengthening law and order, both at sea and mainland, combat piracy and tackle environmental waste dumping. 4. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the Independent Federal Constitution Commission [IFCC] in the constitution making process, a key agenda and pillar of the transitional arrangement, which on 18 March 2010, approved the structure and internal rules of procedure of the IFCC and its oversight on the election of the Commission’s Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary. It is expected that the IFCC, following an inclusive consultative process, will provide a draft constitution by 1 July 2010. The meeting stressed that the support of the international community in this onerous endeavor continue to be a critical intervention. 5. The meeting noted with encouragement the role of AMISOM, and other members of the international community, in particular the EU, in the ongoing process of rebuilding of the Somali security sector institutions, namely the Somali National Security Forces and the Somali Police Force, in order to create a broader space for the political process to move forward. In this regard, the Joint Security Committee (JSC), which coordinates all international support to the security sector institutions in Somalia, convened in Nairobi on 23 March 2010, to assess progress in security sector reform. The JSC also discussed various training initiatives supported by AMISOM, the EU and other partners as well as forward actions required in the Somali National Security and Stabilization Plan [NSSP]. The participants welcomed the launching of the EU Training Mission for Somalia and received a briefing by its Commander on its full operationalization. 6. The meeting also noted that, despite ongoing security challenges in Mogadishu, efforts are underway to strengthen the Somali Police Force. In this respect, and in fulfillment of its mandate of training, mentoring, advising, monitoring, reform and restructuring, AMISOM recently deployed thirty four (34) police officers from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda into the mission area. Starting June 2010, AMISOM police will deploy fifteen trainers to Djibouti to train five hundred Somali officers. In Mogadishu, AMISOM is currently training fifty Somali officers in various fields, including cordon and search, traffic, investigation and demining. 7. The role of UNSOA in providing prefabricated accommodation for AMISOM , both military and civilian , was welcomed as an important contribution to the capacity building of troops and civilian staff in various areas of expertise. 8. The humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to be dire and the meeting, once again, appealed to the international community to honor its pledges and rise to action and commitment. 9. The meeting, once more, expressed appreciation and paid tribute to the TCCs, namely Uganda and Burundi for their commitment to and sacrifices made for peace and reconciliation in Somalia. 10. The meeting seized the opportunity to, again, express appreciation to the potential Troop Contributing Countries for their commitment to peace in Somalia and 2

encouraged other African countries, especially those that have so pledged, to speedily deploy their contingents to enable AMISOM reach its authorized strength, which continues to be a serious challenge. Appreciation was to those countries, which are actively engaged in preparing units for deployment, as well as to partners which supply the needed equipment and logistics. 11. The meeting urged the TFG to maintain unity and cohesion within its ranks and between the Transitional Federal Institutions. It called on the TFG to acknowledge the efforts of the AU, AMISOM, IGAD, the UN and the entire international community, and focus on the priority tasks including the restoration of security, especially in Mogadishu, the protection of the population, the implementation of the agreement with the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama, as well as the preparation for the end of the transitional period. 12. The meeting stressed the need for the Government of Somalia, the business community and the friends of Somalia, including the members of the International Contact Group, to support the follow up to the Istanbul Conference. 13. The meeting paid a special tribute to Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, for his very significant contribution to the peace process in Somalia. The meeting expressed its profound gratitude to the Special Representative for his invaluable efforts that led to, the signing, on 19 August 2008, of the Djibouti Agreement and wished him well in his new endeavour. The participants commended the leadership role played by Ambassador Ould-Abdallah in assisting the TFG and in mobilizing the international community in support to it. 14. The participants agreed to hold their next Consultative Meeting at a date to be decided following appropriate consultations. Addis Ababa, 2 June 2010 3

AFRICAN UNION (AU), TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES (TCCs) TO AMISOM AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON SOMALIA - 2 JUNE 2010

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