Brussels (Somalia Today) – The European Union has approved a 75-million-euro funding package for the African Union mission in Somalia, bolstering a force supporting Somali troops in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
The package cements Brussels as the largest backer of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, and brings total EU support for successive AU missions in Somalia to nearly 2.8 billion euros since 2007.
Approved under the European Peace Facility, the fresh funds will mainly cover troop allowances, non-lethal equipment and related services, the Council of the EU said.
Brussels said the support aims to strengthen AUSSOM’s operational readiness and help it protect civilians in areas threatened by Al-Shabaab and other militant groups, while ensuring compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law.
‘Immense sacrifices’
Javier Niño Pérez, the EU envoy to the African Union, said the move showed the bloc was following through on commitments made at the November 2025 AU-EU summit in Luanda.
“We jointly committed to strengthen African-led peace missions, and we are delivering,” he said, adding that “it is crucial to strengthen security for the people of Somalia and for the whole region.”
AU Peace and Security Commissioner Bankole Adeoye welcomed the contribution, saying it reflected a shared determination to promote peace, security and democratic governance.
He also saluted troop-contributing countries for their “immense sacrifices” in Somalia.
The funding comes after months of concern over how to keep the mission financed.
In a December 2025 communiqué, the AU Peace and Security Council expressed deep concern about the persistent funding gaps facing AUSSOM.
While praising the AU Commission for allocating $20 million from Peace Fund interest for the 2025 budget, it appealed for adequate, predictable and multi-year financing.
African officials have repeatedly warned that ad hoc pledges leave critical security operations vulnerable to disruption.
Resilient insurgency
AUSSOM formally replaced the AU Transition Mission in Somalia, or ATMIS, on January 1, 2025, after authorisation by the UN Security Council, and its mandate has since been renewed through December 2026.
The mission’s military component launched with up to 12,626 personnel in its first phase.
Its mandate includes supporting Somali forces against Al-Shabaab and Islamic State-linked fighters, securing key population centres and gradually transferring security responsibilities to Somali institutions by 2029.
The security stakes remain high. Despite nearly two decades of insurgency, Al-Shabaab still controls swathes of rural territory and retains the capacity to strike major urban centres.
In March 2025, the group targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in Mogadishu, though he escaped unharmed. Joint operations have continued to produce results.
On April 14, Somalia said its forces killed 27 Al-Shabaab fighters in the Lower and Middle Jubba regions with international air support. But the insurgents remain one of Africa’s most resilient jihadist movements.
Humanitarian crisis
The new military package comes as Somalia grapples with acute civilian hardship driven by prolonged drought, conflict and shrinking aid flows.
In February, the EU announced an additional 63 million euros in humanitarian aid for Somalia, days after Somali authorities and the United Nations warned that around 6.5 million people were facing acute hunger.
Beyond direct support to AU military missions, Brussels has allocated more than 3.5 billion euros to Somalia since 2014 through an integrated approach combining humanitarian, development and security engagement.
The latest contribution also fits into the wider diplomacy between Brussels and the AU institutions based in Addis Ababa.
On the sidelines of the Sudan conference in Berlin on April 15, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas met AU Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf to discuss peace and security across Africa.
For Somalia, where the battle against Al-Shabaab overlaps with displacement, hunger and renewed political strains in Mogadishu, the EU funding offers important support to a mission still seen by African and European officials as central to the country’s security transition.
