UN reviews impact as US ends support for AUSSOM logistics
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organisation has started consultations with key partners to assess the possible effects of the decision before.
Force and sector commanders during a conference to review progress, challenges, and plan mandate implementation in line with the AUSSOM CONOPS in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Photo: AUSSOM/X)
The United Nations is reviewing the impact of the United States' decision to end support for UN-funded logistical assistance to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) from 2027, a move that has raised questions about the future of the peace support mission and its operations against Al-Shabaab.
The review follows a formal notification from the United States that it will no longer back the current funding arrangement that finances logistical support for AUSSOM through the United Nations. The decision affects a system that provides the mission with supplies and services needed to carry out its operations across Somalia.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organisation has started consultations with key partners to assess the possible effects of the decision before the current funding arrangement comes to an end.
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“The organisation is conducting ‘internal consultations while engaging with the African Union, Somalia’s Federal Government and other international partners to evaluate the impact of the move,’” Dujarric said.
The United States has argued that the current funding model can no longer continue because it has become financially unsustainable and politically untenable. Washington has formally informed the United Nations that it will withdraw its support for the existing arrangement once the current funding cycle expires.
AUSSOM has nearly 12,000 personnel deployed in Somalia and relies heavily on the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) for logistical support.
The office provides food, water, fuel, medical services, transport for troops and equipment, and other operational assistance that allows the mission to carry out its mandate.
Without these services, the mission would face challenges in maintaining its day-to-day operations, including supporting security activities carried out alongside Somalia's security forces.
The change in US policy comes as President Donald Trump's administration has expressed growing dissatisfaction with Somalia's federal government. Washington has pointed to continued political disagreements in Mogadishu and the country's inability to defeat the Al-Shabaab insurgency despite years of financial, military and political support from international partners.
According to the United States, these concerns have contributed to its decision to end support for the current funding arrangement, which has financed the UN Support Office in Somalia for years.
Washington has also informed the African Union that it will no longer support UNSOS after the current funding cycle ends later this year. The support office operates with an annual budget of about $500 million and plays a central role in sustaining AUSSOM's operations across Somalia.
Although the United States has indicated that it would not object to the UN Security Council extending AUSSOM's mandate, it has drawn a clear line on future funding. Washington has said it will reject any renewal of the mission if it includes continued UN logistical or operational assistance under the current model.
That position has created uncertainty over how AUSSOM will continue operating after the present funding arrangement expires. The mission remains one of the main international security operations supporting Somalia in its fight against Al-Shabaab, assisting Somali security forces during operations aimed at weakening the armed group.
The United Nations, the African Union and Somalia's federal government are now expected to continue consultations as they explore possible options for sustaining the mission. International partners are also likely to discuss alternative funding arrangements before the current support package comes to an end.
Unless a new source of funding is secured, AUSSOM could face difficulties maintaining the logistical support required for its operations.
That could affect the movement of personnel, the delivery of supplies and medical services, and other activities that enable the mission to continue supporting security operations in Somalia.
For now, the United Nations says it is focused on assessing the implications of the US decision while consulting with the African Union, Somalia's federal government and other partners on the way forward.