Mogadishu, (SONNA) – The Summit of Heads of State and Government of Somalia’s brotherly neighbouring countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya was held on 1st February 2023 in Mogadishu under the Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia. The Summit was attended by His Excellency Ismail Omer Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, the President of the Republic of Kenya.
This Summit was convened in the wake of the ongoing targeted and sustained campaign by the Somali Security Forces aimed at degrading the capability of all terrorist groups and diminishing their operational capability in the territory of the Republic of Somalia, building on the repudiation of Al- Shabaab by the Somali public, the bold action of the Somali Security Forces and the strong political will of the government of Somalia.
The Summit reviewed the conclusions of the conclave of Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of the Defence Forces of the neighboring Frontline States on the importance of coordinated and timely technical, logistical, intelligence and operational support to the ongoing anti-terror operations along with the Somali National Army.
The Summit recognizes the need for new partnerships and enhancing solidarity among Somalia’s neighboring states to stand by Somalia in a united fight against a common terrorist threat to demonstrate a unified stance on confronting Al-Shabaab.
The Summit welcomes President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s vision of a comprehensive, all-government approach with a multi-dimensional focus on defeating terrorists through military, finance, and ideology.
The Summit agrees to make the final push for joint operations in the areas that remain under the terrorists to completely liberate the whole of Somalia from Al-Shabaab to facilitate the drawdown of ATMIS troops and the gradual handover of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces.
Following deliberations, the Summit:
1. Reiterated the importance of respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and unity of Somalia.
2. Commended the government and the people of the Federal republic of Somalia for their demonstrated commitment to rid the country of Al- Shabaab;
3. Reaffirmed its commitment to continue to assist the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in its liberation efforts.
4. Recognized the efforts thus far undertaken by the National Consultative Council of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal Member States (FMS) towards inclusive politics and encouraged the FGS/FMS to organize all their efforts towards the fight against Al- Shabaab.
5. Noted the significant progress made in Somalia with more regions recovered by the Somali security forces and ATMIS.
6. Applauded the progress made to rebuild and modernize Somalia’s security forces through unified efforts of force generation, capability development, and support with firepower and multipliers.
7. Acknowledged the federal government of Somalia’s request for full commitment and support of the neighboring troop-contributing countries to significantly participate in the current Somali National Army (SNA) forces-led operations across the sectors, to defeat and destroy the terrorist group.
8. Stressed the urgent need to jointly plan a decisive operational strategy against Al-Shabaab and acknowledges the need to mobilize regional support for timely, decisive operations.
9. Emphasized the need to consolidate and build upon the existing Somali Transition Plan (STP)/Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) efforts in Somalia.
10. Agreed to jointly plan and organize a robust operational campaign at the frontline states level, of search and destroy Al-Shabaab on multiple frontlines aiming at the key strategic Al-Shabaab strongholds across south and central Somalia. The time-sensitive campaign will prevent any future infiltrating elements into the wider region.
11. Decided to establish a joint operations mechanism that coordinates the operations’ holistic capabilities and multipliers to deter and defeat the enemy.
12. Welcomes the request by the Somali Government to obtain both lethal and non-lethal support to equip the newly-generated SNA units and to enhance the firepower capabilities of current SNA operational units.
13.Further requests that international partners support Somalia’s stabilization efforts in the newly liberated areas to facilitate the federal government to enhance its service delivery and extend its authority.
14.Commends the advancement made on developing capabilities in managing weapons and ammunitions regime and endorses Somalia’s quest to completely lift the arms embargo by the end of 2023.
15.Emphasizes the importance of establishing a joint border security mechanism that intends to eliminate cross-border terrorism activities and ensures legal passage of trade and movement.
