Group of 5 states back Somalia’s sovereignty, urge dialogue to reduce regional tensions

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – A group of five nations including the US, Britain, and Türkiye stressed their support for Somalia’s sovereignty and urged dialogue to reduce tensions in the region of the Horn of Africa nation.

At their seventh meeting on Thursday in Washington, DC, the Somalia Quint group states – also including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – reiterated the need to reduce regional tensions through dialogue, including Turkish-sponsored mediation efforts.

Representatives from Somalia’s government also took part.

This July and August, Türkiye hosted mediation talks between Somalia and its neighbor Ethiopia over regional tensions.

Tensions rose this January after Ethiopia signed a pact with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland paving the way for an Ethiopian military base and a 50-year lease of the Red Sea port of Berbera.

The Quint states also discussed the need to focus on shared economic and security objectives, particularly to address ongoing and emerging threats from terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa.

The partners also expressed support for Somalia’s efforts to generate capable, professional, and accountable security forces and defense institutions.

“They agreed to take steps to improve coordination of international training to facilitate more effective near-term operations and to assist the FGS (Federal Government of Somalia) to develop a long-term training capability,” a joint statement from Qatar, Türkiye, the UAE, UK, and US said after the meeting.

It said the Quint discussed the urgent need to finalize plans for the new African Union Stabilization and Support Mission in Somalia following the end of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

They stressed the importance of ensuring broad stakeholder input into the planning process including from troop contributors, to produce a mission with feasible and resource-informed goals and tasks and a clear exit strategy synchronized with Somalia’s security sector capacity-building.

The partners also discussed the urgency of finalizing funding options for the upcoming new peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

Meanwhile, China also called on all parties in Somalia to "keep up the momentum, strengthen dialogue and unity, and stay committed to resolving differences through dialogue."

Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, Ambassador Dai Bing urged continued funding to sustain the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia.