NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26 – Kenya has raised alarm over widening funding gaps threatening the operations of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which is battling terrorist elements including Al-Shabaab.
Speaking during a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Foreign Affairs and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi stressed the urgent need to sustain AUSSOM by fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2719, which provides a framework for predictable financing of AU-led peace operations.
Mudavadi warned that financial shortfalls could erode hard-won gains in the fight against extremism and destabilize the Horn of Africa.
“The widening funding gap poses a serious threat to AUSSOM, whose mandate expires at the end of this year,” he said. “Financial uncertainty undermines mission readiness, emboldens extremist groups, and threatens to reverse the gains achieved through years of sacrifice and solidarity.”
He praised Somalia’s progress under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in state-building and strengthening its international voice, while reiterating Kenya’s commitment to regional stability. Kenya currently has about 3,000 troops serving under AUSSOM.
Mudavadi urged the UN and AU to adopt a hybrid financing model anchored on UN-assessed contributions to cover troop stipends, logistics, mobility, and operational needs. Such a framework, he said, would guarantee predictability and effectiveness.
Divided Security Council
He acknowledged, however, that divisions within the UN Security Council remain a challenge to applying Resolution 2719 to AU-led peace operations.
“I urged all partners to remain constructively engaged in bridging existing differences and in pursuing interim solutions that reflect both the urgency and importance of continued support for Somalia’s stabilization,” he noted.
Adopted unanimously in December 2023, Resolution 2719 allows the AU Peace and Security Council to request UN funding for peace operations, with the UN expected to shoulder 75 percent of costs, while the AU mobilizes the remaining 25 percent.
The resolution marked a milestone in UN-AU security cooperation, though questions remain on its implementation.
AUSSOM, which replaced the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), came into effect on January 1, 2025. Approved by the AU Peace and Security Council and authorized by the UN Security Council under Resolution 2767, it is tasked with supporting Somalia’s stabilization, state-building, and security priorities.
The mission, whose mandate runs until December 31, 2025, fields 11,826 uniformed personnel, including 680 police officers, with a planned drawdown of 800 by year-end. Unlike ATMIS, AUSSOM is designed to be more mobile and agile, supporting Somali security forces in degrading Al-Shabaab and affiliates linked to ISIL/Daesh.
