Somalia Takes Seat on AU Peace and Security Council

By Zakaria Hassan - Reporter

Somalia, 7 April, 2026 Somalia officially took its seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) on Tuesday for a two-year term spanning 2026–2028, marking the first time the country has joined the continent’s primary body for conflict resolution.

The formal inauguration occurred during the PSC’s Third Flag Installation Ceremony in Addis Ababa. Somalia’s mandate, which officially began on April 1, 2026, is scheduled to run until March 31, 2028. The nation joins the 15-member body alongside other newly elected members including Benin, Gabon, Lesotho, Morocco, and South Africa.

"Membership of the PSC carries a solemn obligation to act decisively, collectively, and in full alignment with the principles of the African Peace and Security Architecture," AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said during the ceremony.

AC Milan Sack Massimiliano Allegri After Champions League Failure

Nyanza Youth Voter Drive Intensifies as KYTI Targets 2 Million New Voters Plus

The transition comes as Somalia navigates a major diplomatic resurgence. The country currently holds a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2025–2026 period and assumed its rotating presidency in January 2026.

Domestically, the government is overseeing the full operationalization of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which succeeded the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) on January 1, 2025 . Somalia’s inclusion in the PSC provides Mogadishu with a direct platform to influence continental policy on counter-terrorism and regional stability during this final phase of security responsibility handover.

The council also saw the re-election of Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. The PSC is tasked with preventive diplomacy and managing crises across the continent, holding the power to authorize peace support missions and impose sanctions in response to unconstitutional changes of government.