AU

The African Union is facing a legitimacy test. Across social media and public forums, Africans are asking whether the AU has moved beyond symbolism to deliver the integration and security it promises. The recurring questions are blunt: If the AU cannot advance a single currency, a unified military or a common passport, what, exactly, is the union for? Those questions may sound harsh, but they capture a growing frustration. In one widely shared post, commenters joked that the AU should be rebranded “Western Union,” a jab at…

Egypt takes helm of AU Peace and Security Council, puts Sudan and Somalia atop agenda CAIRO — Egypt on Sunday assumed the rotating presidency of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, pledging to focus its one-month term on the crises in Sudan and Somalia while advancing a broader agenda linking peace, security and governance across the continent. The presidency, which began Feb. 1, comes amid what Cairo described as escalating and overlapping challenges in Africa — from protracted armed conflicts and fragile…

Somali, AU and Ugandan troops kill 30-plus al-Shabab fighters in Lower Shabelle operation MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces, backed by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and Uganda’s military, killed more than 30 al-Shabab militants during a joint operation in the Lower Shabelle region, authorities said Thursday. The fighting erupted near the Bulunagaad Forward Operating Base when militants attacked Somali National Army units and AUSSOM troops conducting pursuit operations in the area,…

Somalia, AU and UN issue urgent donor appeal to sustain Somali Security Forces support MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for new donor contributions to keep critical support flowing to Somali Security Forces. The call came during a Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund event in Mogadishu attended by Somalia’s National Security Advisor, the U.N.…

Will Egypt Steer Somalia's Peacekeeping Journey? NAIROBI, Kenya - As the calendar inches towards the expiry of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in December, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Egypt is mounting its troops for AUSSOM, the new mission slated for the region. This signals the dawn of a strategic plan to bolster peace and stability in Somalia, a land of enduring strife. In a communique rolling out from the recent Tripartite summit, Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea collectively nodded to…

The AU expresses remorse for Somalia's rejection of Mahama as a special envoy ADDIS ABEBA - Days after the federal government in Somalia openly opposed the appointment of former Ghanaian President John Mahama as high-ranking representative of the Somali conflict, the African Union has expressed remorse and called the move an "unsurpassed" disappointment. The African Union had chosen Mahama for…

BAIDOA, Somalia - Ethiopia's National Defense Forces gathered in several parts of the southwest and raised flags before the planned battle with Al-Shabaab militants, who still control large parts of the countryside in central and southern Somalia, as the military works hard to liberate many cities. ENDF troops are key security stakeholders in the Horn of Africa and have been associated with the liberation of key areas, which were once under the linked al-Qaeda group that controls internal parts of the country. The…

Somalia's AU mediation efforts flopped after the FGS boycott MOGADISHU, Somalia - Former Ghanaian President John Mahama has formally retired as a particular envoy to Somalia's mediation workforce, a duty imposed on him by the African Union, which relied on his skills as a licensed mediator in political conflicts. Mahama, who's revered for handing over energy after dropping to the incumbent Nana…

AU sticks with John Mahama in Somalia's mediation group ADDIS ABABA - Former Ghanaian President John Mahama will, in spite of everything, lead the extremely anticipated Somalia mediation group, a number of sources have confirmed, nevertheless it stays unclear when he is anticipated to report for the train, which is about to renew quickly. There remains to be a variety of confusion concerning the…

EDITORIAL: Farmajo's rejection of AU mediation in Somalia is conceited EDITORIAL | Somalia's outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has said that the brand new Particular Envoy for Somalia, Ghana's former President John Mahama, is not going to be put in because the Excessive Consultant of the African Union for Somalia. And the federal authorities claims that his announcement…