Research

Kampala Summit on the Future of AUSSOM in Somalia: A Security Transition Without Funding

Uganda’s capital, Kampala, hosted the Second Extraordinary Summit of the AUSSOM Troop-Contributing Countries from 29–31 July 2026. The summit was chaired by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and attended by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, alongside high-level delegations from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Egypt, represented by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Also participating were African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and senior officials from the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The summit followed an escalating sequence, beginning with a meeting of defence chiefs of staff on 29 July, followed by a meeting of defence ministers the next day, and concluding with a summit of heads of state and government on 31 July. This sequence reflected the urgency of the crisis facing the mission after the United States informed the African Union of its intention to end the UN logistical support provided to AUSSOM through the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) by the end of December 2026. Held under the theme “Sustaining the Stabilization Process in Somalia,” the summit focused on two interconnected issues: securing sustainable financing for the mission after the expiration of UN support, and ensuring an orderly and gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Somali forces without creating a security vacuum that could be exploited by Al-Shabaab. However, the summit appeared closer to documenting a strategic dilemma than resolving it. African troop-contributing countries are calling for a transition conditioned on the readiness of Somali forces and extending over several years, while only five months remain before the mission faces a critical funding shortfall.