The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, yesterday, undertook a one‐day visit to Mogadishu. The Chairperson was accompanied by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ramtane Lamamra, and his Special Representative for Somalia, Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra.
The delegation was briefed by Maj. Gen. Fred Mugisha, Force Commander of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), on the recent developments on the ground and achievements made by the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and AMISOM, particularly the extension of their control to areas previously under Al‐Shabaab. The Chairperson paid tribute to the TFG forces, as well as to AMISOM leadership and troops, for their commitment and courage.
The delegation also visited Hawalwadag IDP camp, where it met with drought‐affected Somalis, as well as AMISOM Level II Hospital, where Somali civilians receive free medical treatment.
The delegation met with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Hassan, the Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, and Prime Minister Abdweli Mohammed Ali, at the Presidential Palace in Villa Somalia.
The Chairperson seized the opportunity to express AU’s commitment to continue extending full support to the people and institutions of Somalia. In this respect, he exchanged with the President on the upcoming Pledging Conference scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, on 25 August 2011, for the victims of drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, in particular in Somalia. The discussions also focused on the need to strengthen the reconciliation process and expedite the implementation of the pending transitional tasks, in line with the Djibouti Agreement and the Kampala Accord.
