Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to travel to Kampala, Uganda, later this week to attend a high-level summit on the future of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), as the mission faces mounting financial and operational challenges.
During the summit, Hassan Sheikh is expected to present Somalia’s assessment of the country’s security situation, the Federal Government’s preparedness to assume greater responsibility for national security, and the technical requirements needed to support the ongoing security transition.
Leaders and senior security officials from AUSSOM troop- and police-contributing countries are also expected to present their assessments of the security situation in Somalia and discuss the next steps for the mission.
The meeting will review recommendations from previous technical consultations held in Mogadishu and Addis Ababa involving security experts, military commanders, representatives of the Federal Government, the African Union, and international partners.
The Kampala summit comes at a critical moment after the African Union announced that it is preparing to gradually transfer security responsibilities to the Somali National Armed Forces.
AU officials have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Somalia throughout the transition, even as uncertainty over AUSSOM’s long-term funding—particularly following the United States’ decision to end support for the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) after 2026—has intensified efforts to define a sustainable exit strategy for the nearly two-decade-long African Union mission.
The summit is expected to play a key role in determining AUSSOM’s future, including its funding arrangements, transition timeline, and the pace at which Somali security forces will assume full responsibility for the country’s security.