Kampala summit seeks funding lifeline for Somalia peace mission

African Union troop-contributing countries agreed on Friday to seek 18 to 24 months of uninterrupted international support for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), saying the transition is necessary to strengthen Somalia's security forces and ensure an orderly transfer of security responsibilities. The leaders, meeting with the Somali government at an extraordinary summit in Kampala, also called for increased military financing, more air assets and intelligence capabilities, and renewed diplomatic efforts to secure predictable funding for the mission.

The final summit communique urged Somalia to accelerate the development of capable national security institutions while maintaining cooperation with federal member states and traditional elders in the fight against al Shabaab. It also directed troop-contributing countries and the African Union to establish a joint diplomatic task force to mobilize international political and financial support, including organizing a donors' conference, and appealed to traditional and non-traditional partners to help bridge AUSSOM's funding shortfall.

The summit stressed the need for an orderly, coordinated and phased exit of AUSSOM but said the mission would require a United Nations Security Council-mandated integrated support capability for between 18 and 24 months to avoid disrupting operations. Leaders also urged Somalia to continue recruiting local defence forces to hold newly liberated areas, strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, and build a professional national army capable of assuming full responsibility for the country's security.

A key moment of the meeting came during negotiations over the final communique, when Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud rejected proposed language calling for dialogue to resolve Somalia's ongoing constitutional and electoral impasse. Mohamud argued that the constitutional and electoral dispute was strictly an internal Somali matter and should not be included in the summit's outcome document, insisting the gathering remain focused on security and AUSSOM.

The summit came at a critical moment for Somalia, as the country grapples with mounting security and political challenges that threaten its transition from decades of international peacekeeping support. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which replaced ATMIS at the start of 2025, has faced persistent funding shortages, raising concerns over its ability to sustain operations against al Shabaab at a time when the militant group has intensified attacks across central and southern Somalia.

The financial outlook for the mission has become increasingly uncertain as international donor support has waned. Several traditional partners have been reluctant to commit new funding, reflecting broader donor fatigue after nearly two decades of financing peace operations in Somalia. The uncertainty deepened after the United States, one of the mission's key backers, announced it would no longer finance AUSSOM, leaving the African Union and troop-contributing countries scrambling to secure alternative funding and prompting calls for a new international donors' conference.

The security concerns have coincided with a deepening political crisis in Somalia. Relations between the federal government and several federal member states have deteriorated amid disputes over constitutional reforms, the distribution of power and security arrangements. Analysts and diplomats have warned that the political divisions risk undermining military gains against al Shabaab by weakening coordination between Mogadishu and regional administrations.

The country is also facing an unresolved constitutional and electoral impasse. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's administration has pushed ahead with constitutional amendments introducing a new electoral framework and has argued that the reforms require extending the transition period before elections can be held. Critics, including some opposition leaders and federal member states, argue that the president's constitutional mandate has effectively expired and accuse his government of using the reforms to prolong its stay in office. The dispute has become one of the country's most contentious political issues, although Mohamud insisted during the Kampala summit that it remained an internal Somali matter and should not be reflected in the summit's final communique.