Somalia AU mission leaders seek UN-backed extension

Leaders of countries contributing troops to the African Union mission in Somalia said in Kampala on Friday that they wanted to extend the mission’s mandate, despite the United States ending political and critical financial support.

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, supports the Somali army with about 12,000 troops. Somalia has fought Al-Shabaab insurgents for about two decades, but the group still controls large areas.

Washington has announced it will end support to the UN Support Office in Somalia at the end of this year. UNSOS provides logistics for the AU mission, including troop rotation, food, fuel and medical equipment. The United States also said it would oppose any further UN logistical support to AUSSOM.

In a July 1 letter, Washington accused Somalia’s government of a lack of progress against Al-Shabaab and in addressing security and governance challenges.

The leaders said there should be an “orderly, coordinated and phased exit of AUSSOM”. They called for a UN Security Council-mandated mechanism lasting up to two years, during which security would gradually be handed to Somali forces.

The summit also urged Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to convene a conference with leaders of the government, opposition and federal states. Mohamud responded that Somali political matters should not be included in the summit statement and must not be “internationalised”.

Somalia is also in a political crisis. Mohamud changed the constitution earlier this year, extending his term by a year after it expired on May 15. Opposition parties and regional governments rejected the changes, and violent clashes followed in several parts of the country, including Mogadishu.

Analysts and diplomats said the mission’s future was in doubt without a reversal of the US decision. Solomon Dersso, head of the Amani Africa think tank, said he doubted there was any viable way to sustain the mission without continued US support for UNSOS.

A senior diplomat to the AU told AFP on condition of anonymity that Washington’s decision was “irreversible”. The diplomat said the AU had no choice but to decide quickly because it could lack the logistical resources to evacuate troops once UNSOS shuts down.

The leaders asked international partners for additional resources to cover financial shortfalls. The Balqiis think tank in Mogadishu said UNSOS operational costs were about half a billion dollars this year, three times AUSSOM’s budget.