Juja, South Sudan – The African Union has appointed one of the Horn of Africa’s most seasoned political figures to steer its mission in South Sudan, a country still navigating a fragile peace. AU Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Monday formally welcomed Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas as the new Special Representative and Head of Mission, describing the move as an important step in revitalizing the AU’s role in the world’s youngest nation.
Dr. Gaas, a Somali-American economist and veteran statesman, brings decades of governance experience to the role. He previously served as Prime Minister of Somalia between 2011 and 2012, presiding over a period of political transition in Mogadishu that helped move the country away from its long-standing interim status. He is widely credited for spearheading Somalia’s “Roadmap for the End of Transition,” a landmark political framework that guided the establishment of permanent democratic institutions following years of conflict and institutional paralysis.
After his tenure as premier, he briefly served in Somalia’s new Federal Parliament before being elected President of Puntland State, where he focused on economic reform, security coordination and diplomacy with both regional and international partners.
As he assumes leadership of the AU Mission in South Sudan, expectations are high that his background in conflict recovery and federal state-building will prove valuable. South Sudan, which secured independence in 2011 but soon plunged into civil war, remains in a delicate phase as it seeks to implement a long-overdue peace agreement and prepare for elections.
AU officials say Dr. Gaas will be tasked with strengthening political dialogue between rival factions, supporting humanitarian stabilization efforts and helping regional partners maintain unity on the peace process.
Though he has yet to make a public statement, diplomats close to the mission suggest he intends to prioritize direct engagement with both government and opposition groups, mirroring the inclusive approach that defined his tenure in Somalia.
For many observers in the region, his appointment signals the AU’s readiness to deploy not just military or bureaucratic oversight, but political craftsmanship born of lived experience. South Sudan, they say, may now gain a peace envoy who understands the chaos of state collapse — and the painstaking process of rebuilding a nation from it.