BELETWEYNE (Dawan Africa) – Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar has praised the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) for its role in promoting peace and security, during a visit to Djiboutian troops stationed in Hiiraan region according to AUSSOM.
Omar, who arrived in Somalia on a high-level visit, met on August 29, 2025, with Djiboutian forces deployed under AUSSOM in Sector Four, headquartered in Beletweyne. He was accompanied by Ambassador Mouktar Osman Karie, AUSSOM’s Deputy Head of Mission, alongside senior AUSSOM and Hirshabelle State officials.
“Today, we visited AUSSOM forces, including Djiboutian troops, to see firsthand the good work the peacekeepers are doing in Somalia and how they secure the population,” Omar said. He reaffirmed Djibouti’s support for Somalia’s peace process and urged greater collaboration between local communities, state authorities, and AUSSOM forces.
During the visit, the minister and his delegation held talks with Hirshabelle State Interior Minister Abdirahman Dahir Gure and AUSSOM Sector Four Commander Colonel Abdirahman Royale Hared, who briefed him on security in Hiiraan. Discussions covered both security and humanitarian challenges, including joint efforts against Al-Shabaab.
Ambassador Karie commended Djibouti’s longstanding role in Somalia’s stabilization efforts. “Djibouti is contributing to Somalia’s peace and security by providing forces to the African Union mission in Somalia. The country holds historic and cultural ties with Somalia, which is why the minister is here,” he said.
Djibouti is one of five troop-contributing countries to AUSSOM, alongside Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, and Uganda. Its forces have been deployed in Somalia since 2011.
Earlier in the trip, Minister Omar also visited the AUSSOM Mission Headquarters in Mogadishu, where he received a guard of honor from Ugandan peacekeepers before being briefed on the mission’s broader operations.
The Djiboutian delegation included Somalia’s Ambassador to Djibouti Salad Ali Jelle, Djibouti’s Ambassador to Somalia Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf, senior advisor Mohamed Idriss, and other military and civilian officials.