By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Mogadishu , 15 September 2026 The African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre on Monday launched its first national counter-terrorism assessment mission in Somalia, with officials from both sides discussing the country's counter-terrorism capabilities, intelligence sharing, capacity building and efforts to combat terrorist financing.
Idris Lallali of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre said the mission was the first of its kind in Somalia and was part of the centre's mandate to assess counter-terrorism capabilities among African Union member states.
The assessment will examine Somalia's existing counter-terrorism capacity, the achievements of national institutions and areas where additional capacity building is needed, Lallali said.
He said the centre had conducted similar assessments in more than 35 to 40 African Union member states over the past 15 years.
Somali officials said the meetings also focused on exchanging information on terrorist threats across Africa, including the activities and links of al Qaeda and Islamic State militants in West and East Africa.
Abdikarim Abdulle of Somalia's National Security Office said the discussions covered the country's counter-terrorism efforts, national security and intelligence sharing with African Union experts.
He said Somalia shared information and experience on counter-terrorism and national security, while African Union experts provided information on the bloc's role and the counter-terrorism threats facing countries across Africa.
Ahmed Diinaari of Somalia's National Security Office said the meeting also included presentations by African Union officials on how terrorist groups operate across West and East Africa, including links between al Qaeda and Islamic State, as well as achievements and challenges in countering them.
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Somali officials presented the country's counter-terrorism strategy and the priorities that have guided its efforts in recent years.
The meeting also focused on terrorist financing, with Jibril Jirde, Deputy Attorney General at the Office of the Attorney General of Somalia, outlining challenges faced by Somali institutions in tackling the financing of terrorism.
Jirde said Somalia had developed experience in combating terrorist financing that could provide lessons for other African countries, while Somali institutions could also learn from the experiences of their counterparts across the continent.
He said the meeting was intended to accelerate efforts against terrorism through the exchange of ideas and lessons between Somalia and the African Union.
The assessment comes as Somalia continues efforts to strengthen national institutions responsible for countering al-Shabaab and other militant groups.
The AU Counter-Terrorism Centre said the mission would also help identify Somalia's capacity-building needs and support efforts to ensure that national institutions can operate effectively and sustain their counter-terrorism work over time.