KAMPALA (SD) -The Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs from countries with troops stationed in Somalia met in Kampala, Uganda.

Military leaders and stakeholders, including representatives from the European Union, the regional organization IGAD, and the United States, attended the meeting.

The Somali Federal Government delegation included Defense Minister Abdirahman Jama, Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Mohamed Omar (Ali Bal’ ad), Defense Advisor Jihan Hajji Abdullahi Hassan Wamba, Jihan Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud (daughter of President Hassan Sheikh), Ambassador Fardowsa Mohamed Qanyare Afrah (Somalia’s envoy to Uganda)

The Chair of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stated clearly that no additional funding is available for the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). Despite Somalia’s persistent efforts to secure funding, the United States – as the largest donor – has explicitly refused to provide further financial support for ATMIS operations.

Meanwhile, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud traveled to Kampala to participate in the Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) summit, where critical discussions about ATMIS’s future are taking place.