AU Peace and Security Council meets to discuss Somalia security, AUSSOM funding
The session comes as the timeline for the transition from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to AUSSOM officially concludes. The transition, scheduled to end on June 30, marked the completion of Phase One of the new mission.
The African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) will on Thursday hold a ministerial-level session to receive an update on the security situation in Somalia and the operations of the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The meeting, attended by AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf, Somalia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar, and representatives from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations (UN), and the European Union (EU), is the latest effort to reinforce AUSSOM’s presence in Somalia amid dwindling resources.
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The session comes as the timeline for the transition from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to AUSSOM officially concludes. The transition, scheduled to end on June 30, marked the completion of Phase One of the new mission.
In April, the Peace and Security Council endorsed the Troop and Police Contributing Countries (TCCs) for the mission, along with the allocation of troop contributions. The Council also called on the TCCs and the Federal Government of Somalia, in coordination with the AU Commission, to finalise all necessary steps for the full and expedited deployment of the mission.
The agreed troop strength for AUSSOM stands at 11,146, with at least 8,000 personnel deployed through bilateral arrangements, intended to address the deteriorating security situation in the country.
While a previous summit in Uganda held that the best solution for sustainable, adequate, and predictable funding lies in the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023), the lack of support from the United States has meant that this option cannot be pursued to finance AUSSOM.
The current meeting is therefore expected to chart a way forward regarding the mission’s funding uncertainties amid shifting geopolitical priorities.
“Against this backdrop, a major area of interest to PSC members during Thursday's session is to receive an update on the options being explored, most notably the ongoing effort to organise a pledging conference for AUSSOM. The AU views this as a potential lifeline for the mission. Although previous attempts to convene the conference in Doha, Qatar, during April and May did not materialise, efforts are ongoing,” pan-African think tank Amani Africa noted ahead of the meeting.
Despite the financial uncertainty, the mission has recently recorded significant operational gains. A three-day joint offensive dubbed Operation Silent Storm, launched in June in collaboration with the Somali National Army, targeted Al-Shabaab strongholds in the Lower Shabelle region.
The operation aimed to recapture Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in Sabiid Anole, Aw Degeele, and Bashir — territories previously lost to Al-Shabaab. It succeeded in reclaiming the key villages of Sabiid and Anole.
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