The Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) held Tuesday a retreat on post-2021 arrangements in Somalia, with the participation of the Somali government, the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and a number of international partners.
The Egyptian side will be chaired by Hamdy Loza, the Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, while the Somali side will be headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mahmoud Abdi Hassan.
Hosting the retreat comes in light of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to support peace and stability in Somalia and contribute to building the capacity of its national institutions as well as preparing the next edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, of which the centre serves as its executive secretariat.
The retreat also aims to allow for the holding of informal consultations between Somali officials and African and international partners to discuss post-2021 arrangements in Somalia in light of the expiration of the mandate of the African Union Mission (AMISOM) on 31 March 2022 and the nature and functions of the new AMISOM.
The possibility of greater involvement by the UN and international partners in supporting the new mission is also being explored.
The retreat will cover several topics, including ways to support the capacity of the new AMISOM to meet security needs, foremost among them the fight against terrorism and the expected role of the Cairo-based CCCPA.
IT will also review the support sought from international partners to enable Somalia to overcome the challenges of the current phase and to strengthen its institution- and capacity-building and development efforts.
