President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assured the people of Somalia and the region of the commitment of regional leaders to stabilize the Horn of Africa.

President Museveni, who is the current Chairperson of the Heads of States from Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), gave the assurance at the Extraordinary Summit of the Troop Contributing Countries held at State House Entebbe on 27th April 2023.

Earlier, a meeting of the ministers of defence and foreign affairs of the TCCs was also held in Kampala.

The Extraordinary Summit of the Troop Contributing Countries was attended by the Presidents and their delegations, including Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, Evariste Ndahishimiye of Burundi, Dr William Ruto of Kenya.

President Museveni told delegates that the Summit recalled some of the problems that have been solved before in Africa, including defeating Idi Amin in Uganda working with Tanzania and the turmoil of Burundi which was solved by the East African Community.

 President of Uganda “Africa can solve these problems once you agree on the concept. So, this problem (of Somalia), the one we’ve discussed today, I’m sure we can solve,”

The summit commended the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for the successful implementation of its mandate, including supporting smooth political transitions, saving lives and supporting stabilization efforts in Somalia.

It also underscored the importance of respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia. The heads of state welcomed the initiative by the Federal Government of Somalia to take full ownership and leadership of Somalia's Stabilization Strategy, marking a renewed momentum by the Government of Somalia to restore State Authority and provide basic public goods and services in liberated areas.

Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said that Somalia will remain grateful for the contribution and the sacrifice made by the Troop contributing countries and the African Union to stabilize the country for the last 16 years.

“Somalia people will remain grateful to the troop-contributing countries and the African Union as well. We will move with the commitment you have shown us today in the remaining period of the mission. I’m more hopeful than I was when I came here,”

Djibouti President Ismail Guelleh, and his Kenya counterpart Dr William Samoei Ruto, were mandated to engage the development partners on behalf of the Troop Contributing Countries on the stabilization of Somalia.

The major objective of the Summit was to evaluate the achievements made in the implementation of the ATMIS mandate and to review the ATMIS drawdown plan in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs of 2022

The Summit is a follow-up after the meeting between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President Yoweri Museveni, held during the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC, on 13-15TH December 2022.