Mahamat said the attack “underlines the imperative for renewed and reinvigorated efforts to combat terrorism throughout the continent.”
He commended the swift response by Kenyan security forces in countering the militants, who stormed the Dusit complex in Nairobi, and expressed the solidarity with the government and people of Kenya.
“The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the AU’s commitment to continue working with its Member States and partners in the fight against terrorism throughout the continent, as well as to pursue its efforts to stabilize the situation in Somalia and the fight against al-Shabaab, through its Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),” he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Many more Kenyans are still trapped inside the upmarket complex. Security officers, however, managed to rescue 50 Kenyans who survived the more than 10-hour ordeal.
Meanwhile, heavy blasts of gunfire could be heard on Wednesday morning as the security officers and the militants continued to exchange fire.
The Somalia-based al- Shabaab militants have already claimed responsibility for the terror attack, which has led to the death of 15 people and 31 injured.
The attackers forced their way into the 14 Riverside Drive by shooting at the security guards at the gate and forcing them to open it, as a suicide bomber blew himself up.
The attack comes as the country marks the third anniversary of the El Adde terrorist attack that targeted Kenyan soldiers in Somalia.
The attack occurred on January 15, 2016 after Al Shabaab militants overran a military base in the town of El Adde.