African Union holds emergency meeting after U.S. moves to end support for Somalia mission

ADDIS ABABA, July 3 – The African Union convened an emergency meeting on Friday to assess the future of its peace support mission in Somalia after the United States announced it would end funding for the U.N. office that provides essential logistical and operational assistance to African forces in the country.

The closed‑door session at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa brought together military and defence representatives from member states of the African Union Peace and Security Council. Their discussions centred on the implications of Washington’s decision to withdraw support from the U.N. Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) once the mandate of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) expires on Dec. 31, 2026.

According to an AU document, the U.S. Mission to the African Union formally notified the bloc on July 1 that Washington would no longer back UNSOS. The office serves as the logistical backbone of AUSSOM, providing air transport, engineering, medical services, equipment, and other critical support to AU troops deployed in Somalia.

The African Union warned that the U.S. decision could severely affect AUSSOM’s logistics, operational effectiveness, and financing, raising concerns about the mission’s ability to continue supporting Somalia’s security forces in their fight against the Islamist militant group Al‑Shabaab.

Friday’s emergency session, convened under a July 2 notice, focused on assessing the impact of the funding cut and developing immediate measures and a roadmap to address the anticipated financial and operational gaps.

Military representatives from Peace and Security Council member states — including Somalia, Uganda, South Africa, and Algeria — discussed options to mitigate the consequences of the withdrawal and safeguard Somalia’s security and stability across the Horn of Africa.

The United States has defended its decision, arguing that despite nearly two decades of international assistance, insufficient progress has been made in weakening Al‑Shabaab and that Somalia has yet to assume full responsibility for its own security.

Washington said it has contributed nearly $2 billion to AU missions in Somalia since 2007, alongside $1.6 billion in bilateral assistance to troop‑contributing countries. It added that it has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in support to Somalia’s security forces, in addition to billions in humanitarian and development aid.

No official outcome from Friday’s meeting was immediately released, but AU officials are expected to consider options for sustaining AUSSOM’s operations as uncertainty grows over the mission’s future funding.

By Omar Nor, senior Somali journalist in Mogadishu