Somalia is among the 10 countries whose representatives have secured a seat on the AU Peace and Security Council (AU PSC). Others who will serve a two-year term on the Council include DRC, Gabon, Uganda, Morocco, Lesotho, South Africa, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone.
This marks the first time Somalia will sit on the continent’s premier peace and security organ, and the results of the vote at the ongoing 39th AU summit grant the Horn of Africa country direct access in AU systems to shape decisions on conflict prevention, mediation and regional stability, and signals growing diplomatic traction after years of internal security challenges.
Somalia also currently represents Africa at the United Nations Security Council.
The Council election contest was reshaped after Kenya and Rwanda withdrew their candidacies days before foreign ministers convened in Addis Ababa, narrowing what had been one of the summit’s most competitive regional races.
“Grateful to AU Member States for their trust and to our Eastern Africa region for their solidarity,” tweeted Somalia Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali following the vote today. “This a historic first for Somalia,” he added, pledging that Somalia would serve “with responsibility and resolve advancing peace, security, and African unity.
