African Union appeals for funding for peace efforts in Somalia

THE newly-elected chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has called on the international community to fund stabilisation efforts in Somalia.

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Youssouf, who has wrapped up his first visit to Somalia since taking office, highlighted critical funding shortfalls for the African Union (AU) Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and called for a renewed commitment to the country's peace and stabilisation efforts, the AU mission said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Tuesday.

"I have already started in (AU Headquarters of) Addis Ababa to speak to some of our partners so that Somalia is not abandoned. Somalia remains the centre of interest of the international community," said Youssouf.