AU-PSC: Morocco Advocates for Holding of Peace, Security Conference in Somalia

Posted on by

Morocco advocated on Friday before the African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the holding of a peace, security and development conference in Somalia. This advocacy was expressed by Morocco’s Ambassador to the AU and UNECA, Mohammed Arrouchi, who spoke via videoconferencing during a meeting of the AU PSC, devoted to the examination of the request submitted by the Federal Government of Somalia for the extension of the mandate of the AU Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). On this occasion, the Moroccan diplomat stressed the need to organize a conference in support of Somalia within the framework of a multidimensional approach that takes into account the nexus between peace, security and development, also drawing on the AU Peace Fund. Arrouchi insisted on the imperative of maintaining the commitment of the PSC members with the partners to preserve the achievements made in Somalia, with the aim of accompanying this brotherly country towards stability and ensuring better living conditions for the Somali people. The Moroccan diplomat expressed the Kingdom’s support to ATMIS to help the Somali federal government implement its transition plan and gradually transfer ATMIS security responsibilities to the Somali national security forces by December 2024, so that Somalia can assume full responsibility for its own security. “The conclusion is clear: we are in the midst of the transition process from ATMIS to Somali forces,” the ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the AU and UNECA, specified. On the other hand, he stressed the need for international cooperation and support, especially as the European Union, the AU’s main partner in Somalia, remains fully committed to the transition process, hence the need to ensure the mobilization of the necessary funds for a successful transition to avoid a security vacuum in Somalia, with all the repercussions it would have on the country, the sub-region, the continent and even the world.