Burundi foreign minister visits Somalia, meets President Mohamud

Burundi Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro on Monday met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu to discuss security cooperation, with the future of the African Union peacekeeping forces in focus.

Officially, Villa Somalia said Mr Shingiro was delivering a message from Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye.

The message, the Somali presidency said, was to underline Burundi’s appreciation of Somalia’s peace and stability and its importance for the region (Eastern Africa) and the world.

Mr Ndayishimiye is currently the chair of the East African Community (EAC), and his country is also among the troop-contributing countries (TCC) to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), which has until December 2024 to exit the country and handover duties to Somali security forces.

Somalia’s application to join the EAC is currently under review, and it could become the eighth member of the bloc by the time Atmis exits Somalia next year.

Read: Mathuki: Why we want Ethiopia to join EAC after Somalia

Yet that is not yet clear, should the assessment by TCCs determine Somalia needs more backup for longer.

Read: Somalia ‘willing’ to extend peacekeepers’ stay

The TCCs, including Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, are set to meet on April 27 in Mogadishu to assess the troops’ performance, a year since the force was recreated from the then African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

Their recommendations are then likely to be submitted to the African Union Peace and Security Council, which then recommends them to the UN Security Council.

Burundi’s message on Monday was that it lauds Somalia’s quick successes against Al-Shabaab terrorists. But it also recognised the threat of al-Shabaab is far from decimated.

The minister said his country is ready to continue supporting the people and government of Somalia.

Also read: From Somalia to posh Somariya in Burundi

Mr Shingiro was received at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport by Somali Foreign Minister Abshir Omar Haruse and other officials earlier on Monday.

Burundi was the second country to deploy forces into Somalia and maintains the second largest contingent under Atmis after Uganda.