The AU reiterates its strong condemnation of the heinous attack on an AMISOM base in Somalia

Addis Ababa, 28 June 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, continues to closely follow the situation in Somalia and the efforts being deployed by the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army (SNA) towards stabilizing the country and creating conditions conducive for the timely completion of the ongoing political process. She reiterates her satisfaction at the great strides made in this respect, thanks to the commitment and bravery of the AMISOM uniformed personnel and the SNA.

In this respect, the Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the AU's strong condemnation of the attack carried out by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group against an AMISOM base in Leego, in the Shebelle region of Somalia, on 26 June 2015, and its sadness at the casualties sustained by the Burundian troops who were manning this position. She conveys the AU's heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wishes speedy recovery to the wounded. She expresses the AU's solidarity with the people and Government of Burundi in these trying circumstances, as well as its appreciation to all the troop and police contributing countries for their invaluable contribution to the cause of peace, security and reconciliation in Somalia, noting the huge sacrifices they have made. 

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the AU's determination to continue doing all it can towards achieving sustainable peace, security, stability and reconciliation in Somalia. In this regard, she looks forward to the conclusions of the meeting of the Military Operations Coordination Committee (MOCC), scheduled to take place at the AU Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, tomorrow 29 June 2015, under the chairmanship of AU Peace and Security Commissioner Smaïl Chergui, to consider the recommendations of the recently-concluded joint AU-United Nations benchmarking exercise for AMISOM, as well as to the 30 June 2015 meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on the situation in Somalia. The Chairperson of the Commission also looks forward to the planned holding in Kampala, Uganda, on 14 and 15 July 2015, under the AU's auspices, of the 2^nd meeting of the Heads of Intelligence and Security Services of the East African region, as an opportunity to further enhance security cooperation, particularly with respect to the fight against the Al-Shabaab terrorist group.  

The Chairperson of the Commission urgently calls on the UN and other international partners to sustain their support to AMISOM and the SNA to enable them more effectively address the challenges at hand. She recalls that, in deploying AMISOM, the AU is acting on behalf of the UN Security Council, which has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.  

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