US denies cutting Somalia AU mission funds, urges equal support from Europe, Africa
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee reaffirmed the country's commitment to peacekeeping efforts in Somalia but urged European and African nations to contribute in equal measure.
The United States has denied claims of withdrawing funding from the African Union mission in Somalia, clarifying that it is instead urging other nations to share the financial burden.
In a statement on X on Tuesday, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator Jim Risch, reaffirmed the country's commitment to peacekeeping efforts in Somalia but urged European and African nations to contribute in equal measure.
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"The US hasn't refused to support the AU mission in Somalia—we're just insisting that Europe and Africa pull their weight. Funding schemes like the UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (UNSCR 2719) let others dodge the bill and dump the cost on US taxpayers, while giving the UN a welcome distraction for its own failure," the statement reads.
The UNSCR 2719 resolution, passed in December 2023, allows AU missions to receive up to 75 per cent of their budgets from UN-assessed contributions.
According to the US Africa Command, the United States has supported peacekeeping efforts in Somalia since 2007, contributing over $1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance and $240 million in development aid.
Despite the support, Washington has recently raised concerns over shouldering a disproportionate share of the financial burden.
In May, Risch and Senators Ted Cruz and Rick Scott introduced the AUSSOM Funding Restriction Act of 2025 before Congress to safeguard US taxpayer funds and hold the UN and the AU accountable in African peace operations.
The Bill also seeks to strengthen oversight and accountability of AU peace operations by requiring the Secretary of State to conduct annual independent assessments of the AU's compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2719.
It also seeks to have detailed reports sent to Congress on the findings, the performance and funding of AUSSOM and any US contributions under UNSCR 2719.
"At the UN, our European partners are looking to skirt their financial commitments to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia by switching to a new imbalanced funding mechanism that pushes the burden on Americans," Risch said then.
"We can't let that stand. This Bill will prohibit US contributions to AUSSOM under this new funding scheme until the AU and the UN can prove that they are using the funds they have responsibly and prevent Americans from being locked into perpetually funding a broken system."
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