Mogadishu, Somalia – U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, hosted El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the African Union’s newly appointed Special Representative and Head of the African Union Transitional Mission’s successor, AUSSOM, for high-level talks at the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu.
The meeting underscored a renewed commitment by both the United States and the African Union to strengthen cooperation in the ongoing fight against Al-Shabaab, which remains a persistent threat to Somalia’s stability and regional peace.
In an official statement, both parties “emphasized their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the fight against Al-Shabaab, signaling a unified front in regional security efforts.”
The talks reflect growing international momentum around the AU’s transition from ATMIS to AUSSOM — a more streamlined peace support operation expected to focus on Somali-led stabilization and long-term security reform.
Ambassador Riley reiterated the United States’ support for Somalia’s security institutions and the AU’s peacekeeping transition, while Diene expressed the African Union’s readiness to collaborate closely with Somali authorities and international partners in implementing AUSSOM’s mandate.
The meeting comes amid heightened efforts to degrade Al-Shabaab’s operational capacity and empower Somali forces to assume full security responsibility by the mission’s final exit deadline.