The African Union (AU) has warned that its peace support mission in Somalia cannot continue without sustained international financial and logistical assistance, following the United States’ decision to end its support for the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) after the current AUSSOM mandate expires at the end of 2026.
The warning comes as the AU faces growing uncertainty over the future of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which succeeded previous AU missions and traces its origins to AMISOM, first deployed to Somalia in 2007 to support the Federal Government’s fight against Al-Shabaab and help stabilize the country.
AU officials acknowledged that the mission has endured nearly two decades of complex security challenges and warned that its continuation is now in serious doubt unless alternative international funding is secured urgently.
The organization stressed that AUSSOM depends heavily on external partners to finance its operations, including fuel, transportation, logistics, engineering support, medical services, communications equipment, and other essential military and police requirements. African troop-contributing countries, the AU said, do not have the financial capacity to independently sustain an operation of this scale.
The warning follows Washington’s announcement that it will no longer finance UNSOS, the United Nations logistical support mechanism that provides critical assistance to AUSSOM forces operating across Somalia. The U.S. has argued that, despite nearly two decades of international investment, Somalia has yet to achieve sufficient progress in assuming full responsibility for its own security.
Over the past several years, the African Union mission has undergone a gradual drawdown, with troop numbers steadily reduced as part of a transition plan intended to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army. In several areas previously secured by AU forces, Somali government troops have assumed primary responsibility for security operations.
However, security analysts have warned that persistent attacks by Al-Shabaab and continuing operational challenges have complicated the transition process, raising concerns that a sudden reduction in international support could undermine hard-won security gains and weaken ongoing counterterrorism operations.
The African Union is now appealing to the United Nations, the European Union, and other international partners to urgently identify alternative funding arrangements to prevent disruptions to AUSSOM and ensure the mission can continue supporting Somalia’s security and stabilization efforts beyond 2026.