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The African Union (AU) has convened an emergency meeting on the future of its peace support mission in Somalia after the United States announced it would end key financial support, citing limited progress in the fight against Islamist militants.
According to a document seen by AFP, the AU Commission called the meeting on Friday to discuss the future of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which currently deploys about 12,000 troops to assist Somali security forces.
The move followed a July 1 letter from Washington informing the AU that it would stop funding the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), the body that provides most of AUSSOM’s logistical support, by the end of the year.
A senior African diplomat, who confirmed receipt of the letter to AFP on condition of anonymity, described the decision as irreversible and warned that it could effectively end the mission.
The diplomat said AUSSOM would struggle to continue operations without UN logistical support, which has largely been financed by the United States.
“Without UN logistics, which were funded by the US, we will have to draw a line under our mission in Somalia,” the diplomat told AFP.
The letter also indicated that Washington would oppose any further UN logistical assistance for AUSSOM at the UN Security Council.
The United States said it has contributed nearly $2 billion to UN missions in Somalia since 2007, more than $1.6 billion to support African troops deployed in the country, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars for Somali security forces and billions more in humanitarian and development aid.
Washington said Somalia’s government had failed to build on gains made against the Al-Shabaab insurgency, assume greater responsibility for its own security, or implement meaningful security sector reforms. It also blamed internal political divisions for slowing progress.
Somalia has been battling Al-Shabaab for about two decades, but the militant group continues to control large parts of central and southern regions.
The funding decision comes as Somalia faces renewed political tensions following constitutional changes introduced by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud earlier this year, extending his tenure by one year after his original term expired on May 15.
The constitutional amendments were rejected by opposition groups and several regional administrations, triggering violent clashes in parts of the country, including the capital, Mogadishu.
Although Mohamud’s administration initially made significant gains against Al-Shabaab after launching a major offensive in 2022, many of those advances have since been reversed, with the insurgent group retaining control over extensive territory.
