Somalia threatens action against African Union envoy over remarks on Al-Shabaab

Somalia threatens action against African Union envoy over remarks on Al-Shabaab

Source: Hiiraan Online, Friday April 18, 2025

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali federal government has accused the Acting Head of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), Sivuyile Thandikhaya Bam, of undermining the country’s development and expressing sympathies toward the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab.

In an interview with the Somali National Television on Thursday, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said the government is considering “strong measures” against Bam, citing repeated and unacceptable actions that counter Somalia’s national interests and security priorities.

“The man who is the head of the AUSSOM mission has long been under suspicion. Now it seems he is no longer hiding—he has become a supporter of Al-Shabaab and is actively working to tarnish Somalia’s progress,” Minister Fiqi said.

He accused Bam of making statements at the United Nations Security Council suggesting that Al-Shabaab seeks political legitimacy and no longer targets civilians—remarks Fiqi condemned as dangerous and misleading.

“These kinds of statements are not only factually incorrect, but they risk legitimizing a group that continues to carry out mass killings, bombings, and terrorist attacks against Somali civilians,” Fiqi said.

Diplomatic sources told HOL that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is weighing the formal expulsion of Bam in the coming weeks, a move that would represent a major rupture in relations between Somalia and the African Union during a critical transitional period. AUSSOM replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) at the beginning of 2024 and is expected to take over peacekeeping operations by mid-year fully.

Al-Shabaab remains designated as a terrorist organization by the Somali government, the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and the African Union. The group continues to carry out deadly attacks across Somalia, targeting civilians, military forces, and government officials in its ongoing campaign to topple the federal government and impose its own interpretation of Islamic law.