Newly appointed Head of Aussom, El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly” (left), and Deputy Head Mouktar Osman Karie of Djibouti arrived in Mogadishu and officially assumed their roles to lead the mission on July 28, 2025.
In a move that presents hope for the beleaguered peacekeeping mission in Somalia, the African Union has appointed new leadership for the African Union Stabilisation and Support Mission in Somalia (Aussom), naming Senegalese diplomat El Hadji Ibrahima Diene “Boly” as head and Djibouti’s Mouktar Osman Karie as his deputy.
Both officials arrived in Mogadishu this week and assumed their duties at the helm of Aussom, to steer a mission currently mired in a funding crisis, with traditional donors slamming the door, amid mounting security challenges from Al-Shabaab.
