AU’s Somalia peace mission cannot deliver on funding pledges alone
Without a predictable financing mechanism, the mission remains trapped in a cycle of insecurity, mounting arrears and political instability.
The governments of Somalia and the United Kingdom, the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) met in New York on 25 September to strengthen backing for the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). Commitments made showed renewed political momentum for the mission, but unpredictable funding and rising al-Shabaab attacks still threaten AUSSOM and Somalia’s stability.
AUSSOM should largely have been financed by the UN-assessed contributions pool through the 2023 UN Security Council Resolution 2719 funding mechanism. The resolution stipulated that Security Council-authorised AU peace missions would receive 75% of their budget from the UN pool, with the AU contributing the remaining 25%.
However, the council failed to approve funding in May 2025, primarily because the United States (US) refused to support the proposal. As a result, AUSSOM continues to rely on short-term pledges from a few donors, undermining funding certainty and the mission’s long-term viability.
The mission’s biggest current struggle is reimbursing countries for the stipends they have paid to soldiers, police officers and civilian AU contract personnel, which amount to US$200 million annually.
The biggest current struggle is reimbursing countries for the stipends they have paid to AUSSOM personnel
The European Union (EU), which has largely covered troop stipends and civilian salaries for previous missions, has not yet allocated funds for 2025. Consultations among EU member states and the EU Political and Security Committee (EUPSC), which approves the allocation, are still ongoing – and should be finalised before the November Angola EU-AU summit.
The mission is currently staffed mostly by soldiers (around 11 146), a small number of police (about 680) and 12 civilian personnel. Their operations are maintained by the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), which provides logistics, food, accommodation and medical support. However, UNSOS’ roughly US$500 million budget for 2025 is shared among AUSSOM, the Somali National Army, and UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia – a special political mission.
AUSSOM’s total shortfall of over US$92 million includes mostly stipends and operational costs accrued since the beginning of the mission, along with an additional US$100 million in debt inherited from earlier missions. Currently, funds to cover the shortfall and provide for upcoming mission expenses are being collected through fragmented bilateral deals, which don’t offer secure, sustainable funding.
AUSSOM’s financial troubles are compounded by al-Shabaab’s resurgence. Since March, militants have launched a series of coordinated attacks, dubbed the Shabelle offensive, dislodging Somalia’s army from various key strongholds. Although joint operations by AUSSOM and army forces have partly reversed al-Shabaab’s territorial reach from certain districts, cash shortfalls remain AUSSOM’s most enduring problem.
Measures have been taken to alleviate the shortage. In April, the Kampala summit of troop-contributing countries called for an increase of 8 000 AUSSOM soldiers. It also agreed to deploy bilateral forces on a short-term basis from countries that have direct agreements with Somalia – such as Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Rather than relying on ad hoc pledges, a formal ‘coalition of the willing’ for ongoing support is needed
On 3 July, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) reiterated the Kampala summit’s call, demanding additional forward operating bases, logistics and aviation assets. However, many of these initiatives, including more troops, have not yet materialised.
The PSC also approved an additional US$10 million from the AU Peace Fund on top of an initial US$10 million from interest accrued in the fund’s investment, including the Crisis Reserve Facility. Together with US$20 million from the AU Peace Fund pledged at last month’s New York event, the AU has contributed a total of US$40 million in 2025.
The UK pledged roughly £16.5 million (US$22 million) in New York, with other bilateral pledges totalling US$5.6 million from China, Japan, and South Korea collectively. Together with the AU’s contributions, these commitments may cover AUSSOM’s 2025 costs – but leave 2026 uncertain without a more permanent funding mechanism in place.
The AU’s commitment to ensuring stability in Somalia through the continued presence of AUSSOM has come at a high cost, both financially and in terms of mission personnel killed. To avoid reversing hard-won gains, the AU should intensify diplomatic efforts in New York and Brussels, such as at last week’s 6th Annual Joint Consultative Meeting with the EUPSC, to ensure predictable funding. This could include planning a broader conference on Somalia’s stability.
Any sort of stable financing for AUSSOM should have the backing, or at least no resistance from, the US
Pledging conferences like New York should establish a formal ‘coalition of the willing’ for ongoing support, rather than relying on spontaneous ad hoc pledges. A financing coalition for AUSSOM could also be established by broadening funding sources to attract countries with interests in Somalia, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Experience from the US’ veto of resolution 2719 shows that any stable financing for AUSSOM should have the backing, or at least no resistance from, the US. Given the Trump administration’s preference for bilateral deals, diplomatic engagements between Somalia and the US to support Somalia’s army could be an alternative avenue to lessen the mission’s financial burden.
Given the likelihood that, despite their ideological differences, the Iran-sponsored Houthis could form alliances with Somali terror groups, insecurity in the region still threatens American interests. Indeed, most US aid to Somalia in 2025 – around US$208 million – is dedicated to US peacekeeping operations in the country. But total aid from America has reduced from US$1 billion in 2024 to US$278 million in 2025.
Meanwhile, AUSSOM troop-contributing countries should consider increasing their financial commitment to the mission. This could include supplementing or taking over the troop stipends while more sustainable options are explored. Better still, these countries could write off the debt the AU owes them for paying stipends over the past year.
Without innovative, practical and sustainable solutions that deal with these funding challenges, AUSSOM is unlikely to escape its cycle of debt, arrears and waning credibility.
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