Uganda Set to Host Presidents of Countries Contributing Troops to African Union Transition Mission in Somalia

Uganda will host presidents of countries whose troops are part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

According to a statement shared on the UPDF website on Monday, technical officials from Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) kick-started preparatory meetings for the Heads of State Summit which will be held on April 27 at Entebbe State House.

The Summit is intended to evaluate the achievements made in the implementation of the ATMIS mandate and to review the ATMIS drawdown plan in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) 26/70 (2022) and 26/28.

The Heads of State Summit will be a follow-up event after the meeting between Somalia President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, during the United States  Africa Leaders’ Summit held in Washington DC, from December 13-15, 2022.

During the US Summit, Mohamud requested Museveni to host an Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State of the Troop Contributing Countries to ATIMS which include; Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

While opening the session of the Technical Officials of the TCCs to ATMIS on Monday at Serena Conference Hotel in Kampala, the Head of Ugandan Delegation, who is also the Head of the Regional Peace and Security Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amb. Julius Kivuna -- welcomed delegates and thanked them for accepting to participate in this important meeting of the TCCs to ATMIS.

He called upon experts to discuss as candidly as possible so that the meeting can propose workable recommendations for strategic leaders of ATMIS to make decisions that will support the smooth and peaceful drawdown process of the ATMIS Troops.

He extended Uganda’s appreciation to the Troop Contributing Countries, the host Country Somalia and ATMIS Partners for the immense support, sacrifice, and spirit of brotherhood in an effort to promote and sustain peace, security and stability in Somalia and our region.

“These efforts have led to a number of achievements, including saving lives, improved infrastructure, social services that have greatly improved the lives and livelihoods of our brothers and sisters in Somalia,” Amb. Kivuna noted, according to the statement released on the UPDF website.

He further underscored that the meeting provides a crucial platform for TCCs to deliberate on the pertinent issues under ATMIS but importantly to evaluate the achievements made in the implementation of the ATMIS mandate. Chief of Defence Forces, Permanent Secretaries and the Ministerial Session will also be held on April 25 and 27.

ATMIS TCCs and Development Partners including the UN, AU, UK, US, EU, IGAD and the EAC Secretariat are all expected to attend both the Ministerial Session and the summit. In attendance were delegates from Somalia, United Nations Support Office, African Union, East African Secretariat and representatives from Troop Contributing Countries: namely Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia and Djibouti.