Somalia Greenlights Ethiopian Troops in New AU Mission

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Defense chiefs from Ethiopia and Somalia have agreed on the deployment of Ethiopian forces in the African Union’s new AUSSOM mission and pledged to draft a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to govern bilateral troops in Somalia, a joint statement said Sunday.

The announcement came after a Feb. 14-16 summit in Addis Ababa between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which laid the groundwork for further talks. Ethiopian military chief Field Marshal Birhanu Jula visited Mogadishu on Feb. 22, accompanied by intelligence chief Ambassador Redwan Hussein and other officials.

Somali Army Chief Major General Odawa Yusuf Rage and Intelligence Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali greeted the delegation, underscoring the strong partnership between the two nations. Discussions focused on Somalia’s security woes, the ongoing battle against al-Shabaab, and the push for stability across the Horn of Africa.

The leaders hailed the contributions of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM/ATMIS) and Somali forces since 2007 while welcoming the launch of AUSSOM. They confirmed the Ethiopian National Defence Forces’ (ENDF) role in the new mission and vowed to deepen cooperation against terrorism.

Both sides recognized Somalia’s federal government as the sole point of contact for bilateral ties, affirming respect for its sovereignty. They called for global assistance to bolster Somalia’s military ahead of AUSSOM’s eventual withdrawal.

The SOFA, building on a defense pact signed in December 2023, will regulate joint Ethiopian-Somali military operations in Somalia, the communiqué added. Somalia excluded Ethiopia from the list of African nations contributing troops to AUSSOM after Abiy Ahmed's sea access MoU With Somaliland early last year.

Turkey mediated the two countries with their leaders signed a deal in Ankara in December which ended a nearly one-year tension in the Horn of Africa.

GAROWE ONLINE