According to diplomatic documents, the American diplomacy informed the African Union (AU) that they will not extend funding for the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) beyond the end of 2026.
This decision will automatically deprive the AU Mission of essential resources for stabilization and support to operations in Somalia (Aussom), which has nearly 12,000 personnel engaged in supporting the Mogadishu government, in the face of al-Shabaab militants linked to al-Qaeda.
The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) indeed provides essential logistical support, in food, fuel, medical services, transport and other forms of operational assistance to the African Union Mission in Somalia: Aussom, which operated in 2025 with a budget of $190 million, while the UN Office had a budget of $500 million.
In the absence of logistical and operational support from the United States, the sustainability of this peacekeeping mission is indeed under threat, unless alternative funding is unlocked or other international partners intervene.
Somalia has faced chronic political instability since the ousting of President Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. It has also faced the insurgency of al-Shabaab, a Salafist movement linked to al-Qaeda, for more than 20 years.
