Burundi’s Foreign Minister, Albert Shingiro, met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu on Monday to discuss security cooperation, with a focus on the future of the African Union peacekeeping forces. The Somali presidency said that Shingiro was delivering a message from Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, which underlined Burundi’s appreciation of Somalia’s peace and stability and its importance for Eastern Africa and the world.
Ndayishimiye is currently the chair of the East African Community (EAC), and his country is among the troop-contributing countries to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), which has until December 2024 to exit the country and hand over duties to Somali security forces. Somalia’s application to join the EAC is currently under review, and it could become the bloc’s eighth member by the time Atmis exits Somalia next year.
The meeting between Shingiro and Mohamud comes as Somalia faces increasing insecurity and violence from the Islamist extremist group al-Shabaab, which has been fighting to overthrow the Somali government for over a decade. The African Union peacekeeping forces have been instrumental in providing security support to the Somali government, but their exit in 2024 raises concerns about whether Somali security forces will be able to maintain stability and prevent a resurgence of violence.
In recent months, there have also been tensions between Somalia and some of its neighboring countries, including Kenya and Ethiopia. Somalia has accused Kenya of violating its territorial integrity, while Ethiopia has expressed concern over Somalia’s ongoing political crisis and delayed elections. The meeting between Shingiro and Mohamud could signal a willingness to improve relations and address shared security concerns.
