Addis Ababa, 27 May 2018: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, received Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire of the Federal Republic of Somalia, at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, on 27 May 2018. The two leaders discussed the situation in Somalia and the progress made so far by the Federal Government in implementing a reform agenda in the political, economic and security spheres.

The Chairperson of the Commission paid tribute to the Somali Government leadership for their commitment in addressing the challenges facing the country, and urged all Somali stakeholders to maintain this resolve. He acknowledged the progress made by the Federal Government of Somalia over the past year, specifically the development of a comprehensive approach to security and adoption of a Transition Plan, which provides for a gradual handover of security responsibility from AMISOM to the Somali Security Forces, and called for its swift implementation.

The Chairperson commended the Government for its efforts to establish cohesive and inclusive politics, deepen federalism, resolve the conflicts affecting the country and advance peace-building and reconciliation. He was encouraged by the progress so far made in the development and consolidation of a comprehensive Somali-owned political roadmap, which, among others, includes the completion of the revision of the provisional constitution and the preparation for the  one-person-one-vote election in 2020/2021. He called on all Somali stakeholders to spare no efforts in ensuring a successful implementation of the agreed political roadmap.
 
The Chairperson of the Commission expressed concern over increasing instances of external interference by non-African actors in Somalia’s internal affairs, noting that this threatens to disrupt the peace-building and state-building efforts currently underway in Somalia, and risks reversing the hard-won gains so far made in the country thanks to the sacrifices of AMISOM and the Somali security forces. He urged all concerned external actors to refrain from any action that may undermine Somalia’s progress.
 
Noting the economic reforms undertaken by the Federal Government of Somalia, the Chairperson of the Commission encouraged the Prime Minister to continue with the efforts underway to rejoin the International Financial Institutions and set the country on the pathway to debt relief.
 
On behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia, Prime Minister Khaire paid tribute to the bravery of AMISOM forces. He expressed gratitude to the Troop and Police Contributing Countries for their efforts and sacrifices in the pursuit of peace and security for Somalia. He stressed that their commitment has been essential to Somalia’s progress, and AMISOM’s presence remains critical as the country moves in earnest towards full ownership of security responsibility over Somalia.