STORY: AU PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL VISITS SOMALIA TRT: 03:13 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media

asset is free for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS DATELINE: 25 OCTOBER 2013/MOGADISHU SHOTLIST: 1. Wide shot, Aden Abdulle International Airport 2. Wide shot, Airplane carrying AU delegates taxing 3. Mid shot, AMISOM head Amb.Mahamat Saleh Annadif receives chairperson of AU Peace and Security Council H.E. Mohamed Idriss Farah 4. Mid shot, Amb. Annadif receiving AU delegates 5. Wide shot, PSC Chairman H.E. Mohamed Idriss Farah greets AMISOM commanders 6. Wide shot, delegation leaving the airport 7. Mid shot, delegation driving through Mogadishu streets 8. Mid shot, AU armored personnel carrier driving through streets of Mogadishu 9. Wide shot, AU delegation arriving at Villa Somalia, the seat of the Somali government 10. Mid shot, Amb. Annadif and H.E. Mohamed Idriss Farah walk in 11. Wide shot, AU delegation entering conference hall 12. Wide shot, Interior of conference hall with AU delegation 13. Mid shot, SRCC Amb. Mahamat Saleh Annadif 14. Mid shot, delegates from Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Guinea 15. Wide shot, Somali President H.E Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud entering conference hall

16. Wide shot, Somali President greeting delegates 17. Mid shot, Somali President seated 18. Wide shot, Delegates with President and AU PSC head 19. Wide shot, journalists at Press conference 20. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdirahman Omar Yarisow, Somali government spokesperson: At the moment, AMISOM and the Somali forces are stretched and they cant move beyond where they are because of lack of logistical support in terms of weaponry and what they call enablers. Somalia is the size of Afghanistan and we dont have even one helicopter gunship, so you can imagine. The President spoke to the delegation and he welcomed them to Mogadishu and expressed his appreciation to the AU, in particular for AMISOM forces and all the troop contributing countries for coming to help Somalia 21. Wide shot, AU delegation and Somali president pose for group photo 22. Mid shot, AU taking a pick photo 23. Wide shot, AU delegation bids farewell to the President 24. SOUNDBITE (English) H.E. Mohamed Idriss Farah, Chairperson AU Peace and Security Council: For the Peace and Security Council, its very important to come today to Somali, especially Mogadishu to support the people and also the Federal Government of Somalia. We support of course AMISOM forces in Somalia. Its been a very interesting trip here in Mogadishu and we talked to the President and received a lot of information. We go back to Addis Ababa with a lot of information. 25. Wide Shot, AU armoured personnel carrier leaving Villa Somalia STORY: The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union has today (25th October) paid a historic visit to Somalia. The council members were received in Mogadishu, the nations capital by the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif. The PSC is the AUs standing decision-making body, responsible for the maintenance of continental peace and security and comprises of 15 members, elected by the AU Assembly of Head of States and Government. The delegation also held a meeting with the Somali President H.E Hassan Sheikh

Mohamoud, who welcomed the Councils recent endorsement of the recommendations of a joint AU-UN assessment mission to have more support to the Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) and AMISOM. At the moment, AMISOM and the Somali forces are stretched and they cant move beyond where they are because of lack of logistical support in terms of weaponry and what they call enablers. Somalia is the size of Afghanistan and we dont have even one helicopter gunship, so you can imagine. The President spoke to the delegation and he welcomed them to Mogadishu and expressed his appreciation to the AU, in particular for AMISOM forces and all the troop contributing countries for coming to help Somalia explained Abdirahman Omar Yarisow, the Presidential spokesperson. Specifically, the PSC has called for the provision of logistical support to the SNSF including food, petrol and medical evacuation capacity. It also called for an extra 6300 troops and police for AMISOM as well as enhanced engineering capabilities and much needed equipment including military utility helicopters and armored personnel carriers. The Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council and Djiboutian ambassador to the African Union, H.E. Mohamed Idriss Farah said deliberations with the President raised important issues that would be carried for further discussion in Addis Ababa. For the Peace and Security Council, its very important to come today to Somali, especially Mogadishu to support the people and also the Federal Government of Somalia. We support of course AMISOM forces in Somalia. Its been a very interesting trip here in Mogadishu and we talked to the President and received a lot of information. We go back to Addis Ababa with a lot of information. The meeting also discussed the progress that Somalia has made in recovering from decades of anarchy. The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif reiterated the call to the UN Security Council to positively consider the PSCs requests to boost the AMISOM force, noting that the window of opportunity for cementing the gains in Somalia must not be missed. Somalia is emerging from decades of war and enjoys relative peace facilitated by the African Union force, AMISOM who have been in the country since 2007. ENDS.