Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) partner donor countries to the African Union Mission in Somalia, (b) the African Union, (c) the Federal Government of Somalia and other relevant stakeholders in Somalia on the future of that mission.

The UK regularly engages international partners on the security situation in Somalia, including the threat from Al Shabaab, the role of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somalia's ongoing needs for international support as it transitions to take greater control of its own security. The UN Security Council (UNSC) mandate for AMISOM runs until 31 December 2021. A UNSC briefing on Somalia took place on 17 November, during which the UK - as 'pen-holder' - reiterated the need for progress on discussions on a successor mission to AMISOM to support the transition to Somali-led security in accordance with the Somalia Transition Plan. Senior officials, and ministers when required, liaise with their interlocutors as a matter of due course, including: the African Union, Troop Contributing Countries and the Federal Government of Somalia, to ensure that planning for a future mission can realistically meet objectives for transition while maintaining appropriate security levels; donor partners, to ensure appropriate funding mechanisms and levels of resources; and others in the UNSC who will be involved in formulating a future mandate. We continue to work with all relevant international partners on our collective interests in supporting long-term security and stability in Somalia and how a future mission can meet those shared objectives.