When US president Donald Trump came to power two years ago, he announced drastic cuts by his country to major United Nations bodies and other Non-Governmental Organizations that funded hundreds of projects across the globe supporting millions of people.
The cuts impacted many projects which America funded including in the health sector as well as in other sectors.
The impact of those cuts has finally reached our shores and the first victim is the peacekeeping mission in Somalia which has been running since 2011.
Last Friday, the African Union (AU) rattled by Trump’s announcement convened its Peace and Security Council bringing together military and defense advisers from member states.
The closed door meeting held in Addis Ababa examined the implications of Washington’s decision and explore alternative options to keep the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) operational.
The meeting followed a formal diplomatic note sent by the United States to the African Union on July 1, informing the Commission that it would no longer support the continuation of the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) after the current mandate expires on December 31, 2026.
UNSOS, the logistical arm of the peacekeeping mission, currently provides essential non-lethal support, including food, fuel, medical services, engineering, transport and communications for nearly 12,000 AU personnel deployed across Somalia.
The Trump administration also indicated it would oppose any future UN Security Council arrangement that continued to finance AUSSOM through the existing UN logistical support mechanism.
With this door closed, the African Union warned that the move could significantly affect AUSSOM’s logistics, troop sustainment and operational effectiveness at a time when the mission remains central to Somalia’s fight against al-Shabaab.
According to diplomatic sources, the United States said its decision reflected concerns over the pace of Somalia’s security sector reforms, political divisions and what it described as limited progress in transferring security responsibilities fully to Somali forces. Despite ending support for UNSOS, Washington said it does not oppose extending AUSSOM’s mandate, provided it is financed through alternative arrangements.
The funding uncertainty comes at a critical stage for Somalia’s security transition. AUSSOM, which replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in January 2025, was established to support Somali security forces as they gradually assume full responsibility for national security while continuing joint operations against the al-Shabaab militant group.
The mission has faced persistent financial challenges since its inception, prompting repeated appeals by the African Union, the United Nations and troop-contributing countries for a predictable and sustainable funding model.
Earlier this year, AU peace and security officials warned that financing gaps could undermine gains made against al-Shabaab and slow Somalia’s security transition.
No official outcome from Friday’s emergency meeting has been released but AU officials are expected to present recommendations to the Peace and Security Council as member states consider options for sustaining the mission beyond 2026.
Last year, with the looming cuts anticipated, the AU together with Somalia approached some Arab countries to consider funding the mission. Little was heard about this initiative and its outcome. Perhaps this is the right time for the continent to pick it up.
The mission in Somalia must be sustained to attain its goal-to defeat Al Shabaab and kick out the terror group from Somalia for the country go move forward.
Meanwhile, the talks between the Federal Government of Somalia and the opposition under the banner of the Somali Future Council resumed in Mogadishu early this week.
However, the talks ran into some headwinds when two regional states rejected Turkey as the mediator accusing Ankara of being biased and for providing direct support to the regime in Mogadishu.
The decision by the regional states, Jubaland and Puntland comes at a time when there’s heightened tension between the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and federal member states and the opposition over the issues touching on the electoral process to be adopted and the election timetable.
Representatives from the two member states including those from the opposition however attended a meeting convened by western diplomats to discuss the future of Somalia and the electoral roadmap
The Turkish intelligence representatives who are leading the talks arrived in Somalia on Monday and held separate discussions with representatives of the opposition (Somali Futures Council) and the government before convening joint sittings on Wednesday led by the western diplomats
The Turkish delegation met with committees representing Somalia’s federal government and opposition ahead of planned face-to-face talks led by Western representatives.
The meetings are part of renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the political dispute over Somalia’s electoral process after previous mediation attempts failed to produce an agreement starting with the first meeting in February.
The opposition, united under the Somali Future Council, just like Jubaland and Puntland representatives had previously refused to take part in talks led exclusively by Turkey, arguing that Ankara was not a mediator trusted by both sides.
This stand forced Ankara to take a step allowing the Turks to work with Western representatives to help create a mechanism aimed at building trust between the government and opposition and increasing the chances of reaching a political agreement.
The Turkish government and the Somali presidency have not officially commented on the reported assessment.
The latest diplomatic push comes amid growing concern among international partners that Somalia’s electoral dispute could deepen political instability if no agreement is reached in the coming months.
The federal government and opposition remain divided over the electoral process, with opposition leaders accusing the government of trying to shape the process without broad political consensus.
The government has said it remains committed to moving Somalia toward direct elections and completing the country’s political transition through legal and constitutional institutions
During the ingoing talks, the opposition through Somalia Future Council unveiled its proposal on the electoral process.
The proposal called for a transitional direct election model that would allow voters to directly elect members of parliament while retaining the existing 4.5 clan power-sharing formula during the transition.
It also proposed constituency-based voting, the use of paper ballots, and a new voter registration process, arguing that the model would provide a negotiated path toward universal suffrage while avoiding disputed elections.
The opposition’s proposal differs from the Federal Government’s electoral plan, which seeks to implement one-person, one-vote elections through a political party-based system, making the ongoing negotiations a crucial opportunity to narrow differences between the two sides.
Sources also said Turkish officials conveyed an assessment to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, warning that the political situation could become more difficult if consensus is not reached on electoral issues before October 2026.
Will the ongoing talks yield any positive results? Somalis are anxiously waiting for the outcome of this talks?
