UK Ambassador Indicates Somalia’s Decision Pending on Ethiopian Involvement in AUSSOM Mission
Mogadishu (AX) — The ball is in Somalia’s court when it comes to deciding if Ethiopian forces will be part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, that’s set to kick off at the start of 2025, said UK Ambassador Michael Nithavrianakis.
During a chinwag with reporters, Ambassador Nithavrianakis shed some light on diplomatic dances being orchestrated by Kenya and Turkey to help chill out the frosty relations between Somalia and Ethiopia.
“Ethiopia’s been a key player in the ATMIS mission as our next-door neighbor. We hope they’ll stick around if it pans out, but it’s up to Somalia’s federal government ultimately, and we, the UK, are just here to lend a hand finding common ground,” he remarked.
He also pointed out the importance of transforming Troop Contributing Countries, or TCCs, into future Troop Partnerships, or TPNs, to keep things steady and secure in Somalia.
“Our goal should be to dial down the heat and back the diplomatic work in progress to break the deadlock,” he emphasized.
Somalia has called on Ethiopia to step back from AUSSOM participation unless Ethiopia backs off from its current Memorandum of Understanding with North Western State of Somalia. With about 13,000 troops from Ethiopia and four other countries set to pull out by year’s end, the revamped mission is expected to take the reins in 2025.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
