Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Mohamed El-Amine Souef (L), visits Atmis troops in a Forward Operating Base. A new force is taking over in January 2025. PHOTO | FILE
Less than four months to the expiry of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) mandate, the continental body’s Peace and Security Council has endorsed the plan for the creation and deployment of a new force, to be known as the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (Aussom).
The AU-led post-Atmis force, whose size, scope and mission duration are still undecided, is expected to mobilise troops from several willing countries, deploy and start operations on January 1, 2025, mainly protecting the Somali civilian population from al-Shabaab attacks.
