Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Charles Kahariri, is urging stronger international backing for Somalia as African Union troops pull back, warning that a widening security gap could hand momentum back to al-Shabaab.
Speaking with U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley at AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart on Aug. 14, Kahariri said recent reductions under the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) threaten to erode years of hard-won progress. “Some troop-contributing countries, including Kenya, have entered bilateral arrangements with Somalia to temporarily bridge the gap,” he said. “However, such measures are unsustainable without enhanced international backing.”
Kahariri pressed partners to renew financial and logistical support for Somali forces and to stay engaged politically as Mogadishu consolidates control. His message was blunt: without sustained help, battlefield gains and fragile local governance could unwind—destabilizing Somalia and the wider Horn.
Langley praised the Kenya Defence Forces’ long-standing role in Somalia, calling their contribution “pivotal” to regional outcomes. Both commanders also released the first Joint Communiqué from the African Chiefs of Defence Conference (ACHOD), co-signed in Stuttgart, which distills priorities agreed by 38 delegations at ACHOD 2025 in Nairobi. The document commits African and U.S. counterparts to expand security partnerships, standardize doctrine and information-sharing, counter emerging threats through innovation, strengthen defence institutions, and advance African-led initiatives.
“This is more than a record of what was discussed,” Langley said. “It is a shared commitment to move forward together.” Kahariri framed the communiqué as a roadmap to turn dialogue into measurable results ahead of ACHOD 2026—“joint action, innovation, and institutional reforms” that keep pressure on insurgents while Somali forces scale up.
AUSSOM, launched in January 2025, is the latest evolution of international support that began nearly two decades ago with AMISOM and then ATMIS. As those missions have stepped down, Kenya and others have filled gaps with short-term bilateral deployments. Kahariri’s message in Stuttgart was that such stopgaps buy time—but not victory—unless partners deepen their support.
