AU urgently seeks $190 million to sustain Somalia peace mission in 2025

The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) urgently needs $190 million for its operational expenses in 2025 alone, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Yousuf confirmed during a summit in Entebbe, Uganda, which was attended by regional leaders.

Youssouf said the commission is engaging partners who have been supporting the AU peace mission but also urged African countries to step up and contribute generously to the AU peace fund kitty that is desperate for funds, saying the continent cannot risk letting the peace mission fail.

“There are still reluctances to implement resolution 2719 to Somalia. It will take a collective effort to mobilise financial resources of up to $190 million for the two phases of ATMIS-AUSSOM during the course of 2025,” Youssouf said during his keynote address to the Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) summit, also attended by the UN, EU, UK and the US.

He said despite the financial burdens to AUSSOM, the AU will continue to support peace and stability in Somalia, since Africa cannot afford security gains made in Somalia to go down the drain.

“The African Union Commission is engaging all partners and in particular our member countries of the African Union to ease the constraints on the peace funds so that more resources are available to avoid any failure in the transition process from ATMIS to AUSSOM. The commission will request the TCCs to convince other members of the African Union of the necessity to rely on domestic resources in these troubled times,” the AU chief said.

He praised Somalia for regaining many territories from Al-Shabaab in ongoing battles with the terrorists, but reiterated the need to fully operationalise AUSSOM to help the government consolidate those gains.

“The Federal government of Somalia should speed up the force generation efforts for more sustainable frontline positions of the Somali security forces. The commission also urges the Federal Government of Somalia to pursue its political efforts in the state institutions building processes, this will certainly include greater inclusivity at the level of the national consultation council with the participation of all the Federal States,” he said.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, who also attended the summit, recently announced a national dialogue next month to discuss priority issues ahead of elections next year. He thanked the AU, the TCC and the partners of Somalia and urged them to continue supporting his country in its quest to fully regain stability and peace.

“With our collective efforts towards securing Somalia, we have been able to have the space to further our state-building efforts. We are working tirelessly to build a well-trained, equipped, united armed forces to transition the security responsibilities. However, we are facing immense challenges in the fight against terrorism while at the same time we are building our security apparatus,” President Hassan said at the Entebbe TCC summit.

The meeting was convened to review security progress under the AUSSOM as well as take stock of gains made in the fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

AUSSOM has 11,900 forces and replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). However, the new AUSSOM mission is facing serious funding shortfalls, curtailing its peace support operations in Somalia.

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• Somalia
• Somalia
• AUSSOM
• African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia
• Troop Contributing Countries
• AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Yousuf
• AU urgently seeks $190 million to sustain Somalia peace mission in 2025
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