The Security Council today extended the authorization of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) until 31 December 2026.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2809 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2809(2025) ), the Council authorized African Union members to continue to deploy up to 11,826 uniformed personnel, inclusive of 680 police personnel, to AUSSOM until that date. It emphasized that additional support to AUSSOM and the Somali Security Forces is necessary to enable Somalia to bolster its fight against Al-Shabaab and improve peace and security in the country and the region, and urged traditional and new donors to support by providing the necessary funding to AUSSOM.
Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia to Cease Operations
By further terms, the Council decided that the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) shall cease all operations on 31 October 2026 after completing the second phase of its transition and endorsed the implementation of the road map proposed by the Secretary-General in his 30 September report.
The text also condemned the attacks by Al-Shabaab targeting security forces and AUSSOM personnel in Somalia and the wider region, and its other terrorist attacks, hostage-taking and kidnapping of civilians, and its recruitment, training and use of foreign terrorist fighters. It urged the Federal Government of Somalia to ensure coordination between AUSSOM and international security partners' operations in Somalia to maximize coherence and effectiveness.
It requested the Secretary-General to report on, among others, recommendations for appropriate adaptations to the support provided by the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) to AUSSOM, an update on the status of voluntary resource mobilization towards AUSSOM's 2025 budget, as well as plans and expectations for resource mobilization to support the 2026 budget; and financial and operational developments, which may impact Council decision-making on AUSSOM.
Underfunding Issues Take Centre Stage
In the ensuing discussion, several speakers paid tribute to peacekeepers in Somalia as well as that country's forces, underscoring the need to consolidate their hard-won gains against terrorism. Among them was Sierra Leone's delegate, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Somalia. Throughout the negotiation process, his group advocated the priorities of Somalia while remaining fully committed to meaningful dialogue with all concerned members. "Regrettably, some of our core concerns were not reflected in the text," he said, adding that the financing of AUSSOM had not been a central issue throughout the negotiations despite being the core concern. Nevertheless, his group voted in favour of the text, recognizing the need for Council authorization "as the basis for continued support to AUSSOM by international donors". The chronic underfunding of AUSSOM seriously impedes its objectives and risks reversing the progress achieved, he warned.
Several speakers echoed that, with the representative of France saying: "It is now more urgent than ever that new donors mobilize in support of security in Somalia." Denmark's delegate highlighted AUSSOM's role in providing logistical support to UNSOS in Somalia's fight against Al-Shabaab and in strengthening stabilization efforts. "Further progress must be made on the national level for Somalia to assume full responsibility for its security," he emphasized.
The speaker for Pakistan said that while Al-Shabaab and its affiliates threaten peace in Somalia, sustainable and predictable financing for the Mission remains vital. AUSSOM, operating under the principles of national ownership and in full respect of national sovereignty, has a critical role to play.
Security Functions, Mandate Tensions Shape Debate
The Russian Federation's delegate stressed that the focus of the resolution should continue to be the security issue and support for AUSSOM. Domestic political issues in Somalia and the activities of the transition assistance mission and the relevant reports of the UN Secretary-General are "secondary in nature" and not a mandatory precondition for the Council to authorize the work of African peacekeepers in Somalia. Stressing the need to listen to Somalia, he added: "We fail to understand the attempts by some delegations to defend the expansion of the UN Secretary-General's reporting on Somalia."
The United Kingdom's representative, however, said the text creates a process to enable an informed review of the logistical support provided by the UN. This adoption follows the recent extension of the Al-Shabaab sanctions regime, he said, adding: "Taken together, these decisions demonstrate the Council's continued determination to support Somalia in its fight against Al-Shabaab."
China's delegate said the funding gap facing AUSSOM is unsustainable and the liquidity shortfall confronting UNSOS merits concern. He called on donors to honour their funding commitments, paying their assessed peacekeeping contributions to UNSOS in full and on time. Further, the Secretary-General must present practical proposals on adjusting support for AUSSOM and bridging the funding gap, he said, calling on UNTMIS to ensure a smooth second phase of the transition. As the largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, "China shoulders nearly one quarter of the unsourced budget and has made significant contributions to the logistical support of AUSSOM over the years", he said.
The United States, that country's delegate said, has contributed billions of dollars to various missions in Somalia. Expressing concern that the "transfer of most security functions to Somalia has been elusive", he said the responsibility for combating Al-Shabaab and other terrorism threats must shift "primarily to those who have the most at stake". Stressing the need to optimize resources and identify a credible road map for sunsetting the mission, he urged the Federal Government of Somalia, its federal member states and all clans to come together to address the security and governance challenges. He also expressed his country's continued frustration with Council members using the mandate renewal process to push divisive language, including on gender.
Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here .
