The African Union Commission (AUC) has convened an emergency meeting of military advisers from member states of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), following the US formal announcement that it will not support the continuation of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) beyond the end of the current AUSSOM mission, which ends on 31 December 2026.
An official letter from the African Union Commission, dated 2 July 2026, stated that the US Mission to the African Union on 1 July submitted a Note Verbale stating that Washington would not support the extension of its support to UNSOS beyond the mandate of AUSSOM.
The African Union Commission said that the decision could have a significant impact on the sustainability of the logistics, operational model and funding of the AUSSOM mission in Somalia, as the mission relies heavily on UN logistical support.
According to the letter, an extraordinary meeting is scheduled to be held at the Julius Nyerere Building in Addis Ababa to discuss the future of AUSSOM and next steps.
The United States is not opposed to the UN Security Council extending AUSSOM’s mandate, but it opposes the continuation of UN logistical and operational support.
A US State Department official said Washington believes that, despite spending billions of dollars in support of Somalia’s security, the Somali government is not yet at the point where it can fully assume responsibility for the country’s security or effectively undermine Al-Shabaab.
The US decision comes as AUSSOM’s funding is already facing financial constraints, and diplomats and security experts have warned that without an alternative funding source, the mission could be at risk.