MOGADISHU, July 2 (Reuters) – The United States has moved to cut off crucial United Nations backing for the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia next year, a step that officials and diplomats say could put the operation’s future in jeopardy, according to two documents reviewed by Reuters.
The African Union force, which numbers nearly 12,000 personnel, has long served as a buffer for Somalia’s fragile government in Mogadishu, helping it resist al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab fighters. The militants have launched repeated offensives that have brought them close to the capital and still hold wide stretches of rural territory in southern and central Somalia.
Yet the mission, formally known as the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), depends heavily on U.N. logistics for essentials such as food, water, fuel, medical care and the transport of troops.
Under President Donald Trump, Washington has become increasingly critical of the authorities in Mogadishu, where political infighting has deepened and the government has not managed to defeat the insurgency despite years of foreign assistance.
In a diplomatic note dated July 1 and seen by Reuters, the United States told the African Union it would not back the U.N. Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) after the end of this year. The office has a total budget of roughly $500 million.
Washington said it would not oppose a renewal of the AU mission’s mandate by the U.N. Security Council, but it would reject any extension that included U.N. logistical or operational assistance.
Last year, AUSSOM operated on a $190 million budget, but financing has grown more uncertain and the mission now faces a sizeable shortfall. Washington also blocked an effort last year to move to a funding arrangement that would have had U.N. money cover three-quarters of the budget.
‘HUGE IMPLICATIONS’
On Thursday, the African Union Commission briefed members of its Peace and Security Council on the U.S. decision, saying it would have “significant implications for the logistical sustainment, operational posture and financing of the Mission,” according to an AU letter to members.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that Washington would no longer support UNSOS operations.
“The United States has provided nearly $2 billion in assessed contributions to UNSOS and its predecessor… Despite this investment, Somalia has been unable to independently sustain progress that AUSSOM and its predecessor missions have made to degrade and contain al-Shabaab or take ownership of most of its own security functions,” the spokesperson said.
“We should not continue to fund a mission that has not met core objectives and diverts resources away from security priorities with more immediate and direct implications for U.S. interests.”
Somalia’s defence ministry, the U.S. Defence Department, the U.N. Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia, and the African Union Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this article.
“This will have huge ramifications for Somalia,” Ahmed Koshin, a former director general in Somalia’s defence ministry and current member of the national parliament, told Reuters.
“The peacekeeping mission is in danger because ultimately you need to be able to support and sustain these forces,” he said.
Two diplomats with direct knowledge of the AU mission said it could not continue unless another body stepped in to replace the U.N. support.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the organization was aware of Washington’s decision. “At this stage, we are discussing this internally and engaging with the African Union, Federal Government of Somalia, and other partners,” Dujarric said.
In its note to the AU, Washington also issued a sharp rebuke of Somalia’s efforts to restore stability.
“Internal rivalries and political infighting continue to undermine the fight against al-Shabaab and ISIS, and the benefits of international support will remain limited until Somalia’s leaders unite to address the country’s security and governance challenges,” it said.
