Saturday July 12, 2025
African Union leaders pose for a group photo during the 47th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on July 11, 2025. The session focused on funding gaps and regional stability initiatives, including the transition to a new peace support mission in Somalia. Photo: African Union / Handout
Mogadishu (HOL) — The African Union has doubled its 2025 Peace Fund allocation to Somalia, approving an additional $10 million to help finance the transition to a new AU-led stabilization mission amid a growing international funding gap.
The funding decision was made during the 47th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, held July 10–11 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. It raises the AU’s total commitment to Somalia for 2025 to $20 million, drawn from its Crisis Reserve Facility.
The funds are earmarked for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which took over in January 2025 as a non-combat successor to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), whose operations are scheduled to conclude at the end of 2024.
AU officials said the additional financing would reinforce Somali-led security operations, bolster joint coordination, and prevent operational gaps during the handover.
Despite the AU’s increased commitment, the financial future of AUSSOM remains uncertain. While the United Nations has pledged to cover up to 75% of the mission’s projected $166.5 million annual cost, the United States has declined to contribute directly. U.S. officials have cited concerns about oversight, sustainability, and burden-sharing.
The U.S. decision not to contribute directly to AUSSOM marks a sharp departure from its historic role in supporting AU missions in Somalia. Between 2007 and 2020, Washington provided more than €2 billion to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and its successor, ATMIS, according to AU and EU data.
In May 2024, the AU publicly warned of the risk of “security gaps” if AUSSOM did not receive full funding. Somalia has repeatedly urged donors to ensure predictable and long-term financial support, and in June, Mogadishu and the AU reached an agreement establishing a joint command structure to ensure greater national leadership under AUSSOM.
The AU Peace Fund, which was restructured in 2016 to reduce dependency on external donors, aims to reach $400 million in member contributions. But African-led peacekeeping missions, including ATMIS, remain heavily reliant on support from the European Union and the United Nations.
ATMIS contingents, particularly Ugandan troops, experienced pay delays of one to three months between 2018 and 2022 due to bottlenecks in EU fund transfers to the AU Commission, according to Hiiraan Online and Garowe Online reporting. That episode underscored the consequences of unpredictable funding and spurred efforts within AU institutions to diversify financial sources.