A Critical Assessment of the Challenges of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)

Authorised in March 2007, the African Union Mission in Somalia’s (AMISOM) mandate officially ended on 31 March 2022, giving way to a newly established African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) which came into effect on 1 April 2022. The objectives of this study include identifying the differences, prospects, and challenges between the former AMISOM mission and the newly established ATMIS mission in Somalia. The study found that regardless of what happens, Somalia’s stability and state-building efforts must be matched internally with meaningful advances towards political and national reconciliation which perhaps should contemplate the inclusion of al-Shabaab as part of the process. Finally, the study found out that without a critical reflection on AMISOM’s experiences, there is a risk of repeating the mistakes or shortcomings of the past fifteen years which will then make it difficult for ATMIS to succeed in its mission.