US gives UN more time to end support for Somalia peacekeepers

The US has agreed to give the UN another year to wind down its support for African peacekeepers in Somalia, a document showed — a move that gives some breathing space to a force that was fearing quicker cuts but still leaves its future in peril.

Reuters reported in July that Washington — increasingly frustrated with the fragile administration in Mogadishu — said it would block the UN from supporting the AU force which props up the government and helps it fight al Qaeda-linked militants.

Analysts have warned that any weakening of the AU peacekeepers would severely undermine the government there and could worsen the political turmoil in a combustible region bordering the Red Sea.

The peacekeepers, known as the AU support and stabilisation mission (Aussom) in Somalia, rely heavily on UN support for essential logistics such as food, water, fuel, medical services and transportation of troops.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, which has pulled back from many international commitments, told the AU in a diplomatic note in July that it would use its clout to prevent the UN supporting the peacekeepers from the start of next year.

In another diplomatic note seen by Reuters and shared with embassies last week, Washington said “the US is willing to support a 12-month drawdown followed immediately by liquidation” of the UN support office in Somalia.

Without that 12-month window, the funding could have stopped at the end of December, when the mandate of that UN office expires. Two diplomatic sources and a Somali government source said the new 12-month countdown would start in January.

A spokesperson for the US state department said Washington would no longer fund or support the UN office in Somalia, whose total budget is about $500m (R8.12bn).

“We would expect any drawdown processes and timelines to be discussed during UN Security Council deliberations in December,” the spokesperson said. Five diplomatic sources and the Somali government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the 12-month deadline.

Somalia’s defence ministry, the UN support office in Somalia, and the A⁠U Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The move will buy Somalia and its partners some more time to find other backers but does not lift the threat over the peacekeeping force’s future.

“Aussom is a key pillar of Somalia’s state,” Afyare Elmi, professor at the City University of Mogadishu, said. “Without it, the country would face a real risk of state fragmentation and disintegration.”

Samira Gaid, a regional security analyst, told Reuters the shutdown of the UN support office could spell the end for Aussom.

“The AU either [needs] to find alternative logistics arrangements or to draw down and exit,” she said.