Somalia peacekeeping mission at risk as US blocks UN support, sources say

The United ​States has said it will prevent the United Nations from supporting an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia starting next year, two documents ‌showed, in a move that officials said is likely to end its operations, Reuters reported.

The nearly 12,000-strong AU mission props up the fragile government in Mogadishu, helping it push back al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, whose previous offensives have brought them within striking distance of the capital and who control large swaths of the countryside in southern and central Somalia.

However, the mission, known as the AU Support ​and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), relies heavily on U.N. support for essential logistics such as food, water, fuel, medical services and transportation of troops.

Under President ​Donald Trump, the U.S. government has grown increasingly frustrated with the administration in Mogadishu, which is riven by political infighting and ⁠has failed to defeat the insurgents despite years of international support.

In a July 1 diplomatic note reviewed by Reuters, Washington informed the AU that it would not ​support the U.N. Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), whose total budget is around $500 million, beyond the end of this year.

The U.S. government would not object to the U.N. Security ​Council renewing the AU mission's mandate but would oppose any extension that included U.N. logistical or operational support, it said.

The AUSSOM budget last year was $190 million, but financing for the mission has become increasingly precarious, leading to a huge funding shortfall. Washington last year blocked a plan to shift to a financing model that would have seen U.N. funds cover three-quarters of the ​budget.