The United States has agreed to extend by one year the timeline for the United Nations to phase out its support for African peacekeeping forces in Somalia, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters. The extension provides a temporary reprieve for the African Union mission in Somalia, known as the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSOM), which depends heavily on UN logistical assistance for essentials like food, water, fuel, medical services, and troop transport.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the future of the peacekeeping force that plays a crucial role in stabilizing Somalia’s fragile government and combating Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups. Washington had signaled its intention earlier in July to withhold support for the UN-run support office in Somalia (UNSOS), which coordinates these logistics. This announcement frustrated UN and AU officials who feared an accelerated withdrawal could destabilize the region further.
The Trump administration, continuing its broader trend of scaling back international commitments, indicated in a diplomatic note to the African Union that funding for UNSOS would be cut starting in January 2027. However, a subsequent diplomatic communication circulated among embassies last week outlined a willingness by the United States to support a 12-month drawdown period followed by the liquidation of the UN office. Without this grace period, UN support could have ended as early as the expiration of the current UNSOS mandate on December 31.
Two diplomatic sources and a Somali government official confirmed that the 12-month countdown will commence in January. A US State Department spokesperson reaffirmed that Washington will cease all funding and support for the UN office in Somalia, which manages a budget of approximately $500 million, but added that the details of any drawdown process will be discussed during upcoming UN Security Council deliberations in December.
The announcement leaves AUSOM’s long-term future uncertain. Analysts warn that any reduction in the AU force’s operational capacity could severely undermine Somalia’s government and exacerbate existing political instability in the region, which borders the volatile Red Sea corridor. “AUSOM is a key pillar of Somalia’s state,” said Afyare Elmi, a professor at the City University of Mogadishu. “Without it, the country would face a real risk of state fragmentation and disintegration.”
Regional security analyst Samira Gaid echoed these concerns, noting that the closure of UNSOS could effectively spell the end of the peacekeeping mission unless the African Union secures alternative logistical support or opts for a strategic withdrawal.
Financial challenges have increasingly threatened AUSOM’s sustainability. In 2025, Washington blocked a proposal that would have shifted three-quarters of the mission’s roughly $190 million annual budget to UN funding, citing dissatisfaction with Mogadishu’s governance and the mission’s effectiveness.
Somalia has been gripped by conflict and political turmoil since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, with extremists expanding their influence in rural areas before being pushed out of the capital by joint Ethiopian and Somali forces two decades ago. The future of the AU peacekeeping operation remains a critical factor in determining the country’s stability moving forward.