Funding crisis dominates Kampala talks on Somalia peace mission

The future financing of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) took centre stage as military chiefs from troop-contributing countries convened in Kampala for an extraordinary security summit.

The meeting, hosted by Uganda at Speke Resort Munyonyo, comes at a time when the mission is grappling with shrinking international financial support and uncertainty over how operations will be sustained after the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) scales down its role at the end of 2026.

Opening the summit, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, urged participating nations to adopt a unified approach to preserving the mission, saying African countries must work together to safeguard the security gains made in Somalia over nearly two decades.

Representatives from Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Egypt and Somalia are attending the meeting, where discussions are focusing on troop sustainment, logistics, coordination with Somali security forces and options for mobilising additional resources.

The talks are expected to generate recommendations that will be presented to Defence Ministers before being forwarded to a meeting of Heads of State for consideration.

Uganda has remained one of the mission’s principal troop contributors since deploying soldiers to Somalia in 2007 under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The operation has since transitioned through successive mandates and now operates as AUSSOM, supporting Somali authorities in combating the al-Shabaab insurgency and strengthening national security institutions.

The Kampala summit is widely viewed as a crucial opportunity for African leaders to redefine the future of the Somalia peace mission and explore ways of reducing reliance on external funding while maintaining pressure on extremist groups operating in the Horn of Africa.