Ethiopia and other countries with troops in Somalia have said that they are ready to continue the new peacekeeping mission in Somalia, while the ATMIS mission is coming to an end this year.
Their wishes followed a ministerial meeting held in Addis_Ababa on October 16, 2024, which was attended by the defense chiefs of several countries and convened by the Minister of Defense of Ethiopia, Aisha Mohammed.
The ministers also raised concerns about the financial problems of ATMIS and AUSSOM.” They also underlined the importance of addressing the budget shortfall of these missions.
The Ministers of Defense said that the lessons learned from ATMIS should be taken into account in the upcoming operations, and highlighted the need to consult with the countries that have contributed troops to Somalia in the design of the AUSSOM operation.
The ministers also discussed the growing tensions in the Horn of Africa and the challenges surrounding ATMIS transition.
However, Somalia does not want Ethiopia to be part of the African Union forces set to replace ATMIS, after Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2024.
Recently, Somalia, Egypt, and Eritrea held a tripartite meeting in Asmara, where they agreed on measures to enhance Somalia’s ability to protect its land and sea borders.