US gives UN more time to end support for Somalia peacekeepers
The United States has granted the UN a 12-month extension to wind down support for African Union peacekeepers in Somalia. This decision provides a temporary reprieve for the mission, which faces funding cuts and potential instability.
Why it matters
The stability of Somalia is critical to the security of the Red Sea region, and the withdrawal of international support could lead to a power vacuum.
MOGADISHU/NAIROBI, Sept 18 (Reuters) – The United States 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 African Union force which props up the government and helps it fight al Qaeda-linked militants.
Analysts have warned that any weakening of the African Union peacekeepers would severely undermine the government there and could exacerbate the political turmoil in a combustible region bordering the Red Sea.
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