Representatives from the State of Qatar, the Republic of Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) met in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2024, for the seventh meeting of the Somalia Quint. The meeting marked a significant step forward in international efforts to support Somalia’s security, economic development, and stabilization initiatives.
The Quint partners reaffirmed their commitment to Somalia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity. At the forefront of the discussions was the need to reduce regional tensions through dialogue, including Turkish-led mediation efforts, while aligning shared economic and security objectives to combat ongoing threats from terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa.
A primary focus was Somalia’s efforts to strengthen its security sector. Quint partners expressed strong support for Somalia’s work to build capable, professional, and accountable security forces. The partners discussed the importance of improving international training coordination to enhance near-term military operations, while also supporting the FGS in developing a long-term training capability.
Discussions also centred on the urgent need to finalize plans for a new African Union Stabilization and Support Mission to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is set to end soon. The Quint emphasized the importance of involving all key stakeholders, including troop-contributing countries, to ensure the new mission has resource-informed goals, a clear exit strategy, and is aligned with Somalia’s security sector capacity-building efforts. Partners also stressed the need to finalize funding options for the new mission to ensure its success.
Additionally, the partners underscored the importance of linking military victories to broader governance and humanitarian efforts. The Quint committed to stabilization planning that would consolidate military gains while incorporating governance and humanitarian strategies to ensure lasting peace and development.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to reconvene in Mogadishu for the eighth session, signaling continued international cooperation in supporting Somalia’s security and stability.
In recent months, Somalia has been grappling with heightened tensions over a controversial agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland, the self-declared autonomous region in northern Somalia. The deal, which involved Ethiopia pledging economic and infrastructural support to Somaliland, was signed without the approval of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), raising significant concerns about Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.
Somalia views Somaliland as an integral part of its territory and has condemned the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal as an infringement on its sovereignty. The FGS maintains that any foreign agreements concerning Somaliland must be negotiated through the legitimate channels in Mogadishu.
This issue added complexity to the Washington meeting, as the Quint partners reaffirmed their support for Somalia’s sovereignty and emphasized the need for peaceful dialogue to resolve the dispute. They underscored the importance of respecting Somalia’s borders and ensuring that all foreign dealings adhere to the principle that the FGS is the only legitimate representative of the entire Somali territory, including Somaliland.
