KAMPALA.
The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday arrived in Kampala for an official visit.
The visit which took place at State Lodge Nakasero underscores the long-standing brotherly relations between Somalia and Uganda and reflects a mutual commitment to deepening cooperation in areas of security, trade, regional stability and development.
Ugandan troops have been part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia since 2007, working alongside forces from Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya to counter Al-Shabaab.On January 1, 2025, the new mission—the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom)—began its five-year tenure with a mandate that the African Union proposed four years ago, but was rejected by Somali military leaders and donors. The duo is now backing the latest mission .
The entry of Aussom indeed marks the start of Somalia’s third transition in six years, a situation that was not envisaged when the Somali Transition Plan (STP) took off in 2018. The STP ended in 2021 without attaining the phases of transition, leading to the authorisation of another mission.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s military has been placed on standby to secure additional territory in the new peacekeeping mission as part of the AU’s realignment of its force supporting the Somali army in combating the jihadist insurgent group AlShabaab.
The additional territory is the Middle Shabelle region – also referred to in peacekeeping terms as Sector 5 – which has been primarily secured by Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF) since 2014, when the AU mission in Somalia created and assigned a sector to each troop-contributing country contingent.
This came amid the recent shakeup in the troop-contributing countries to peacekeeping missions to Somalia following the authorisation of a new force.
Who is President Mohamud ?
President Mohamud has been in office since May 15,2022. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017. After losing power in 2017 , President Mohamud founded the Union for Peace and Development Party which he currently serves as its chairperson .
Before becoming president , Mohamud was a university professor and dean at SIMAD University , which he co-founded .In 2012 he was elected President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) . In 2013, the Time magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential people in the world