The European Union’s Political and Security Committee has approved 75 million euros in additional support for the African Union’s funding starved peacekeeping mission in Somalia through the European Peace Facility (EPF).
The new package will bring the EU’s total support to successive AU-led missions to Somalia to nearly 2.8 billion since 2007. The AU is currently leading the Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, which replaced ATMIS in January 2025 and has since been extended to last through 2026.
The funding will primarily cover troop allowances for personnel deployed in Somalia, as well as non-lethal equipment and related services, according to a statement from the EU.
Despite the EU package, AUSSOM struggles with a persistent funding gap, creating significant arrears in payments to Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), including Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. TCCs are expected to deploy up to 11,800 uniformed personnel, inclusive of 680 police personnel, to AUSSOM until December 2026.
The estimated budget for the year leading up to June 2026 period is approximately USD 190 million.
The funding constraints are compounded by a resurgence of Al-Shabaab militants, and while the mission has secured some donor funding (including from the UK, AU Peace Fund, China, Japan, and South Korea), it is not enough to cover the full operational costs
Although the EU package provides short-term relief, the mission’s long-term financial situation remains precarious as it relies on fragmented, non-sustainable funding.
The EPF was established in March 2021 for the financing of actions under the common foreign and security policy to prevent conflicts, preserve peace and strengthen international security and stability.
The EU remains the largest direct contributor to successive missions in Somalia led by the AU. The first of these was the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which began in January 2007 and was supposed to last just six months.
AMISOM remained in place, with Ethiopia joining in 2014, until April 2022, when it was replaced by the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
ATMIS ended in December 2024.
