Somalia, African Union Discuss Closer Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia and the African Union have concluded two days of consultations in Mogadishu aimed at strengthening security and counter-terrorism cooperation between federal institutions and the AU’s counter-terrorism centre.

Somalia’s National Security Adviser concluded the meetings on Wednesday, which brought together representatives of Federal Government institutions and a delegation from the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre.The discussions focused on strengthening institutional cooperation on security and counter-terrorism, as well as improving the exchange of expertise between Somalia and the continental body.

At the closing session, participants reviewed issues discussed during the two-day consultations and areas where cooperation could be expanded.The AU delegation praised what it described as progress by the Federal Government in its counter-terrorism efforts and called for deeper security cooperation between Somalia and the African Union.

The delegation also thanked the Office of the National Security Adviser for facilitating meetings with different Somali government institutions.The consultations come as Somalia continues operations against Al-Shabaab while working with the African Union and other international partners to strengthen the capacity of its security institutions.