Addis Ababa (Somalia Today) — The United States has told the African Union it will block continued United Nations logistical support for the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia from the start of next year, a move officials warned could threaten the mission’s survival.
The nearly 12,000-strong African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, known as AUSSOM, backs Somalia’s fragile federal government in its war against Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group that still controls large parts of the countryside in southern and central Somalia.
But the mission depends heavily on the UN Support Office in Somalia, or UNSOS, which provides food, water, fuel, medical services, transport and other support needed to keep troops deployed across the country.
In a July 1 diplomatic note seen by Somalia Today, Washington informed the African Union Commission that it “will not support the continuation” of UNSOS beyond the current authorisation for AUSSOM, which ends on December 31, 2026.
The United States said it would not object to the UN Security Council renewing AUSSOM’s Chapter VII mandate when it comes up for renewal in December.
But it said it would oppose any renewal that included “UNSOS or any UN logistical or operational support.”
Logistics lifeline
UNSOS has long served as the logistical backbone of the AU presence in Somalia, sustaining foreign troops in forward bases and helping them operate in areas where Al-Shabaab remains active.
Without that support, diplomats and Somali officials say the mission would struggle to maintain supply lines, evacuate wounded soldiers, transport troops or keep remote bases functioning.
Two diplomats with direct knowledge of the mission told Reuters that AUSSOM could not continue unless another body replaced UN support.
“This will have huge ramifications for Somalia,” Ahmed Koshin, a former director general in Somalia’s defence ministry and a current member of parliament, told Reuters.
“The peacekeeping mission is in danger because ultimately you need to be able to support and sustain these forces,” he said.
The AU Commission informed members of its Peace and Security Council on Thursday of the US decision, warning that it carried “significant implications for the logistical sustainment, operational posture and financing of the Mission,” according to a letter from the AU to its members.
Somalia’s defence ministry, the US State Department, the US Defense Department, the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia and the African Union Commission did not immediately respond to Somalia Today requests for comment.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body was aware of the US decision and was discussing it internally while engaging with the AU, Somalia’s federal government and other partners.
Funding pressure
The move comes as AUSSOM already faces a deep funding crisis.
The mission’s budget last year was about $190 million, while UNSOS’s total budget was around $500 million.
Financing has grown increasingly uncertain since Washington last year blocked a plan to shift the AU mission to a model in which UN-assessed contributions would cover three-quarters of its budget.
The European Union has been one of the biggest funders of AU operations in Somalia, but diplomats have repeatedly warned that short-term pledges cannot replace a predictable financing model for a mission operating in an active conflict zone.
Brussels approved a 75-million-euro funding package for AUSSOM in April, following through on commitments made at the November 2025 AU-EU summit in Luanda.
AUSSOM replaced the previous AU mission in Somalia as part of a gradual transition meant to hand more security responsibilities to Somali forces.
But that transition has slowed as Al-Shabaab continues to launch major attacks, overrun military positions and exploit political divisions between Somalia’s federal government and regional leaders.
The group has repeatedly shown it can strike near Mogadishu despite years of international military support and repeated government offensives.
Blunt US message
Washington’s diplomatic note delivered a sharp critique of Somalia’s leadership and its handling of the security transition.
“Despite more than a decade of international support, Somalia has been unable to sustain progress against al-Shabaab, take ownership of its security functions, or undertake serious security sector reform,” the note said.
It added that “internal rivalries and political infighting continue to undermine the fight against al-Shabaab and ISIS.”
The United States said the benefits of international support would remain limited “until Somalia’s leaders unite to address the country’s security and governance challenges.”
Washington also urged the federal government, federal member states and clans to “come together to combat terrorism and advance peace.”
At the same time, the note said the United States would remain alert to threats from Somalia, maintain readiness to respond to direct threats to US interests and keep strong bilateral security relationships with regional partners.
Somalia is also locked in a deepening election dispute after parliament approved constitutional changes in March that could allow President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to extend his term by a year and delay the next election.
The move angered opposition leaders, who accuse Mohamud of trying to reshape the political system without consensus and tighten his hold on power.
His supporters say the changes are needed to move Somalia away from its long-running clan-based power-sharing model and towards direct elections.
Tensions spilt into violence in Mogadishu in early June, when government forces and opposition-allied militias exchanged fire ahead of planned anti-government protests.
Trump’s Somali rhetoric
The decision also comes after months in which Trump has singled out Somalia and Somalis in unusually hostile terms, often linking the country to crime, fraud, failed governance and migration.
At a cabinet meeting in December, Trump called Somalis “garbage” and said the United States did not want them in the country. He also said Somalia “stinks” and accused Somali immigrants of contributing little to the United States.
The remarks drew anger from Somalis in Somalia and across the diaspora. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre urged people to ignore the comments, while other Somali officials and community leaders described them as insulting and discriminatory.
Trump later carried the attacks onto the global stage, telling the World Economic Forum in Davos that his administration was cracking down on alleged fraud by “Somalian bandits”.
He also described Somalis as “low-IQ people”, remarks that reinforced fears among Somali communities that Somalia was being targeted not only through security policy, but also through immigration and domestic political rhetoric.
There is no direct evidence in the diplomatic note that the AUSSOM decision was driven by Trump’s public attacks on Somalis.
But the move fits a broader hardening of Washington’s posture towards Somalia under his administration, combining frustration over Mogadishu’s security failures with a political message that has increasingly portrayed Somalia and Somali migrants as a burden on the United States.
If UN logistics disappear, Somalia and its partners will need to find another way to sustain thousands of AU troops — or face the prospect of a weakened mission at a time when Al-Shabaab remains a serious threat.
