Kindiki in Uganda for Extraordinary Summit on Somalia Peace Mission » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 25 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki is in Uganda attending the Extra-Ordinary summit of the troops contributing countries to the African Union support and stabilization mission in Somalia.

The summit serves as a platform to commend the work of ATMIS-AUSSOM forces and Somali Defense and Security Forces on the front-lines, as well as the political efforts by Somalia’s federal leadership.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf underscored the vital role played by African nations in supporting Somalia’s fight against Al Shabaab and in rebuilding state institutions.

This comes as the African Union renewed calls for collective international support to ensure a smooth and successful transition from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia to the new African Union-led security arrangement.

According to the AU, AUSSOM faces a funding challenge of 90.4 million U.S. dollars to support military, police, civilian and operational components of its mission for the first half of this year.

Uganda was the first country to deploy AU peacekeepers in Somalia in March 2007, following a United Nations Security Council mandate authorizing the mission