By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Mogadishu, 18 September 2026 The United States has agreed to give the United Nations another 12 months to wind down its support for African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic note it had seen.
The decision provides additional time for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, which faces a major funding shortfall and uncertainty over its future logistical support.
Washington said it was willing to support a 12-month drawdown of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia, known as UNSOS, followed immediately by its closure, according to Reuters.
Two diplomatic sources and a Somali government source told Reuters that the new 12-month period would begin in January 2027. Without the extension, funding could have ended in December when the UN office's current mandate expires.
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UNSOS provides AUSSOM with essential logistical services, including food, water, fuel, medical assistance and troop transportation.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Washington would no longer fund or support UNSOS, whose total budget is about $500 million. The spokesperson said the drawdown process and timetable were expected to be discussed during UN Security Council deliberations in December.
The additional year gives Somalia and its partners more time to seek alternative funding, but it does not remove the uncertainty surrounding AUSSOM's future.
The United States previously blocked a proposal under which UN funds would have covered three-quarters of AUSSOM's annual budget of $190 million, Reuters reported.