MOGADISHU – Newly appointed AU Commission Chairperson Deputy Special Representative to Somalia Sivuyile Thandikhaya Bam on Sunday February 25, 2024, arrived at the Mission Headquarters in Mogadishu to assume his position.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia in a statement said Bam, a South African brings extensive experience in conflict resolution and analysis to the role, having previously served as the Head of the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the AU Commission from 2008 to 2021.
“In this position, he provided strategic, operational support and guidance to AU Peace Support Operations across Africa including developing the AU Peace Support Operations Doctrine. He led and contributed significantly to planning, launching, monitoring, directing, managing, sustaining, and liquidating Peace Support Operations (PSOs) approved by the AU. His efforts included overseeing missions such as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Regional Cooperation Initiative on the Lord’s Resistance Army (RCI LRA), and the African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA),” the statement said.
Additionally, ATMIS said, he played a key role in the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (AFISMCAR), the African Union Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA), the African Union Mission Start-Up Team for the Multi-National Joint Task Force on Boko Haram, and the African Union Observer Mission in Burundi.
Prior to joining the African Union Commission, Bam held several strategic roles in the Department of Defence, South Africa.
He holds an Honours BA degree in Politics from the University of South Africa, Pretoria, and has written and presented several papers on peace and security in Africa.
