By Nuh Mohamed - Reporter
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 24, 2026 (Dawan) – The African Union has completed the first phase of strategic consultations on the future of its presence in Somalia, as officials met in Addis Ababa to discuss options for the next stage of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The consultation process followed the 22nd Informal Consultative Meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council held on July 8, which established a task force to develop strategic options for the future of the AU mission in Somalia.
Technical consultations were held on July 22 and 23, bringing together representatives of the Federal Government of Somalia, AUSSOM, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) and the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU).
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The consultation process includes an experts’ meeting involving representatives of the Federal Government of Somalia, AUSSOM troop- and police-contributing countries, and members of the AU Military Staff Committee.
According to the African Union Commission, the consultations reviewed operational, political, financial, legal and force structure options for the future AU presence in Somalia, alongside transition arrangements, implementation requirements, risks and opportunities.
The outcomes of the Addis Ababa consultations are expected to inform meetings of AUSSOM chiefs of defence and police, defence ministers and an extraordinary summit of troop- and police-contributing countries scheduled to take place in Kampala 30-31 July before recommendations are submitted to the African Union’s policy organs.