UNSC: Close Consultations the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia

Somalia: Closed Consultations on the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia

New York, Sudanhorizon

Members of the UN Security Council will hold closed consultations on Monday, Eastern Time, regarding the African Union Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). The session was requested by Somalia, the elected member of the Council for the 2025-2026 terms, and the United Kingdom, the penholder for the Somalia file within the Council.

The Security Council website indicated that the consultations are expected to focus on the mission’s funding arrangements. Security Council Resolution 2767 of 27 December 2024 endorsed a decision by the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) calling for the replacement of the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) with the African Union Stabilization and Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and authorized AU members to take “all necessary measures” in this regard for an initial 12-month period beginning on 1 January 2025.

The resolution also requested the Secretary-General to implement the new mechanism established by Resolution 2719 of 21 December 2023 regarding the financing of AU-led peace support operations, on a “hybrid” basis, starting on 1 July. This would allow UN assessed contributions to fund up to 75% of AMISOM’s budget. However, the resolution made implementation of this framework conditional on the Council confirming its request with a decision by May 15.

The report, later distributed to Council members on May 1, identified total cost reductions of $61.6 million within the current budget ceiling for UNSOS, including $43.2 million in operational costs and $18.4 million in staffing-related expenses.

According to the report, these savings are expected to be achieved through efficiency gains, resource optimization, and the reduction of support activities that “pose low or moderate risks to operational effectiveness.” The report noted that implementing support and cost reductions requires a phased approach to ensure mitigation measures are in place and allow time for contract amendments and demobilization.

In his letter transmitting the internal audit report, the Secretary-General noted that the savings identified in the report within the current budget ceiling for UNSOS were insufficient for the combined implementation of the 2719 framework for AMISOM.

To bridge this funding gap, the United Nations and the African Union held further consultations, resulting in an agreement to reduce overall costs across UNSOS and AMISOM by an additional $63.3 million, beyond the savings identified in the internal audit report.

The Secretary-General emphasized that the total reductions – $124.9 million – reflect “balanced and difficult trade-offs” aimed at preserving hard-won gains and are considered operationally viable and cost-neutral for Member States.

The additional savings include: maintaining the current troop compensation rate for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) of $828 per person per month, rather than increasing it to $1,000 as initially planned; excluding death and disability compensation from assessed contributions; streamlining military and civil aviation capacity; and funding the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) through potential voluntary contributions rather than through the assessed budget; and aligning contingent-owned equipment with revised troop levels.

It is noteworthy that on May 7, the Secretary-General submitted the report required by resolution 2767 on preparations for the hybrid implementation of the framework for resolution 2719 to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AUSSO) as of July 1.
The report focused on the four work streams identified in the joint African Union-United Nations roadmap for the implementation of resolution 2719: joint mission planning, decision-making, and reporting; mission support; finance and budget; and compliance and civilians protection

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=5572