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AU Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador Madeira, formally assumes office

Storyline:National News

The African Union Special Representative to Somalia Ambassador Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira formally assumed office yesterday replacing the out going chief Mamadou Sidikuou.

Madeira was appointed AU Special Representative for Somali on 7 October 2015 and joins the Mission from AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, where he has been working as the Special Representative for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Director of the Algiers-based African Centre on the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT).

“I congratulate you upon your appointment as SRCC for Somalia. Welcome, on behalf of AMISOM, on behalf of the senior delegations here, let me really welcome you and please feel at home,”  the AMISOM Force Commander Lt. Gen. Rono told Ambassador Madeira on his arrival.

Uganda’s Ambassador to Somalia Major General Nathan Mugisha commended the progress AMISOM has made to date, in facilitating Somalia’s transformation. He pledged continued support to the new SRCC.

Madeira promised to build on progress already made by AMISOM which has led to liberation of many towns formerly held by Al-Shabaab and restoring peace. “The reports I have been getting after AMISOM came here are simply amazing. Our countries, the Troop Contributing Countries have in an unreserved manner deployed their best sons and daughters to this country, to try and stabilize this place, and give Somalia space; and conditions to return to a situation of normalcy, that can allow this country to exist as a strong, independent state,” said Madeira.

Sidikou’s tenure has been marked by significant gains by AMISOM including the fall of key resource bases for Al-Shabaab such as the coastal town of Barawe and recently Bardhere among a number of other towns. However the attack of AMISOM bases for Uganda and Burundi this year which left a number of soldiers dead have marked some of his challenging moments including allegations of killings of civilians by AMISOM soldiers.

Ambassador Francisco Madeira was born on 4 April 1954, in Beira, Mozambique. He is a career diplomat who served as the AU Special Representative for Counter-Terrorism Co-operation and Director of the Algiers-based African Centre on the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), a post he held concurrently with that of Special Envoy for the issue of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), from November 2011 to July 2014.