Ethiopia Officially Excluded From AUSSOM-Somali Defence Minister

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU:  Ethiopian forces will not form part of the new African Union security outfit set to commence operations in Somalia in January, Defence Minister Abdulkadir Noor has said.

Nur said the Federal Government had resolved to lock out Ethiopia National Defence Forces (ENDF) from the African Union Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) which formally takes over from ATMIS in January 2025.

“Ethiopian forces have been officially excluded from the new mission of the African Union forces in Somalia starting early in 2025 because Ethiopia has violated the independence and territorial integrity of Somalia,” Nur.

He added that the Federal Government will soon announce the countries that will contribute troops to the AUSSOM. A notable country expected to join the new outfit is Egypt, which like Somalia has had faltering relations with Ethiopia.

Egypt feuds with Ethiopia over the filling of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD). Somalia on the other hand has disputed with Ethiopia over the controversial January 1 MoU between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Ethiopia joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), a predecessor of ATMIS in January 2014. Ethiopia currently operates in sector 3 which covers the Bay, Bakol and Gedo regions.

Other current troops contributing countries to ATMIS are Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, and Burundi.