Every mission must end, say AU members on Somalia peacekeeping woes
African Union member states are expressing concern over the financial sustainability of the peacekeeping mission in Somalia as international donor funding, particularly from the US, begins to dry up. Officials are warning that the mission must eventually conclude as logistical support faces significant cuts.
Why it matters
The potential collapse of the AU mission in Somalia poses a major security risk to the Horn of Africa and highlights the challenges of relying on external funding for regional security.
African Union member states are openly questioning how much longer the continent can sustain its costly peace mission in Somalia, with Cameroon and Gabon warning that “every peace support operation eventually reaches a conclusion” and urging Mogadishu to prepare for the day foreign troops leave.
The unusually candid remarks, made during an emergency meeting of the military advisers to the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), underscore growing unease over the future of the mission as international donor funding dwindles and African governments face the prospect of shouldering a much larger share of the bill.
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