Somalia seeks to join African Union Peace and Security Council

A session of the 35th AU summit in Ethiopia

A session of the 35th AU summit. Somalia is seeking a seat on the AU Peace and Security Council.

Photo credit: File | AFP

Somalia has launched a campaign to become a member of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, a 15-member body charged with setting policy on stability of the continent.

Mogadishu wants the seat to coincide with its non-permanent spot on the UN Security Council, which it won last year for the 2025-2026 term.

The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) often works in tandem with the UN Security Council or complements its decisions.

African Union member states elect candidates on a rotational basis each year. And elected members serve three-year terms in a staggered formula so that there is always a replacement for those whose tenure expire. Sitting members are not immediately eligible for re-election, a measure designed to ensure that all member states have an equal chance of being elected to the Council.

For Mogadishu, these two bodies have taken annual decisions on the Horn of Africa country for the last two decades, including the continued deployment of African Union troops in Somalia, now known as the African Union Stabilisation and Support Mission (Aussom).

Now Somalia wants a seat at both tables and has announced its candidacy for a seat on the AUPSC for the 2025–2028 term. The Horn of Africa nation wants to be part of the team working to promote peace and stability across Africa, according to a dispatch from Mogadishu.

In the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation highlighted that Somalia’s candidacy was also a matter of equity and inclusiveness, calling for fair representation on the Council.

“This is not solely about Somalia; it’s about realising a peaceful and prosperous Africa,” the statement read. 

Somalia has never served on the AUPSC since it was established in 2004 (it actually began work in 2005).

And the country says it has made progress in the international arena, securing debt relief from creditors after meeting conditions set by international financial institutions, being elected to the UN Security Council and having sanctions and an arms embargo on Somalia lifted, as well as being admitted to the East African Community.

“As a future UNSC member, Somalia is uniquely positioned to align and advance African priorities on the global stage,” it said, noting that the simultaneous roles have synergetic effects.

The country’s history of supporting liberation movements, opposing apartheid and championing sovereignty is also cited as an asset, underlining its commitment to the continent’s shared progress.

Somalia’s leadership has positioned this campaign as a reflection of its commitment to pan-African principles.

“Somalia’s long-standing contributions to Pan-Africanism include supporting liberation movements, fighting apartheid and championing independence and sovereignty across the continent,” the statement pinpointed as the country’s leadership successes. 

“With resilience and courage, Somalia is rapidly regaining its status as an influential leader both regionally and globally, transforming into a fast-rising, stable, and sovereign federal republic,” the Foreign ministry stressed.

As a founding member of the African Union (originally, the Organisation of African Unity), Somalia hosted the 11th OAU Summit in Mogadishu in June 1974, where then military leader Major General Mohamed Siad Barre was elected chairman of the summit. He was in this position when the former Portuguese colonies, Angola and Mozambique gained independence.

Somalia would later descend into a civil war; whose effects it is still striving to emerge from.