Ambassador Souef, Gen. Kayanja Hold Discussions on the Renewed ATMIS Mandate

Ambassador Mohammed El-Amine Souef, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), recently met with Lt. Gen. Kayanja Muhanga, UPDF Commander Land Forces.

During a working visit to Somalia on Friday, Ambassador Souef hosted a dinner at the Mission Headquarters in Mogadishu for a delegation of senior officers from the Ugandan army. The dinner was held to acknowledge and commend the UPDF for their significant contribution to peace and stability in Somalia. Among those present at the dinner were Ugandan Ambassador to Somalia, Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Nathan Mugisha, and the ATMIS senior leadership team.

The discussions during the dinner primarily centered around the renewal of ATMIS mandate. Additionally, the officers planned to visit ATMIS sectors to assess the recently concluded phase one drawdown.

Prior to the dinner, Ambassador Souef, along with senior officials from civilian, police, and military components of the Mission, held a meeting with ambassadors and diplomats from ATMIS Troop-Contributing Countries: Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Uganda, who are accredited to Somalia. The main topics of discussion were the progress in implementing the ATMIS mandate and the proposed draft terms of reference for the upcoming Joint Technical Assessment.

The envoys present at this meeting included the Ethiopian ambassador to Somalia, Mukhtar Mohamed; the Djiboutian Defence Attaché to Somalia, Col. Hassan Yusuf; the Kenyan ambassador to Somalia, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Thomas Chepkuto; and Uganda’s deputy ambassador to Somalia, Maj. Gen (Rtd) Nathan Mugisha.

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