Minister of Defense of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Aisha Mohammed (Eng.), has called on Africans to provide collective support for the establishment of lasting peace and stability in Somalia.
An emergency joint summit of heads of state from Troop-Contributing Countries (TCCs) under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) was held yesterday in Uganda.
The summit was held at the invitation extended by Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, and Somalia participated in the summit.
The Ethiopian delegation, led by Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed (Eng.), participated in the summit.
Ambassador Hirut Zemene, Ethiopia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union, also participated.
Information from the Ethiopian Embassy in Kampala indicates that the summit primarily focused on strengthening the new African Union Mission in Somalia and countering the resurgence of terrorism threatening Somalia and the wider region.
The summit had been underway since April 22, starting with meetings at the level of senior military officials and permanent secretaries, followed by ministers of defense and foreign affairs.
The emergency joint summit of leaders discussed the agendas presented during the meetings held over the past three days.
In her speech, Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed (Eng.) acknowledged the commendable progress made by the Somali government so far but stressed the need for intensified efforts in strengthening and coordinating security institutions.
She affirmed that Ethiopia will continue its support for the establishment of lasting peace in Somalia and until the Somali security forces gain the capacity to undertake missions by themselves.
Regarding finance, she also indicated the need to implement new initiatives in addition to the ongoing efforts to obtain support from existing and new financial sources.
She also commended the African Union's approach thus far in utilizing the Union's emergency reserve fund to support AUSSOM.
Ethiopia calls on Africans to assist the Somali government in the spirit of Pan-Africanism and African unity for peace and stability to prevail in Somalia, she stated.
The embassy's information shows that the troop-contributing countries under AUSSOM, for their part, stated that they will work together to prevent the Al-Shabaab's renewed efforts to reorganize in the future.