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The African Union has called an emergency meeting on its military mission in Somalia after the United States said it would end critical funding from next year. Washington cited the Somali government's lack of progress in containing the Islamist al-Shabaab group and its failure to take ownership of its own security functions as the reasons for the decision.

The move could spell the end for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), which currently has around 12,000 troops and has been propping up the federal government since 2009. The mission relies heavily on UN logistical support, funded largely by the US, to pay for logistics, medical services and transportation of troops.

Coverage Comparison

Two reports from Africa News and one from AllAfrica detail the US decision and its potential consequences. All three report that the African Union called an emergency meeting on Friday after Washington announced it would end critical funding. They also agree that the US will block any further UN logistical support to the mission at the Security Council.

The reports differ slightly in their emphasis. One Africa News report and the AllAfrica report both highlight the lack of progress against al-Shabaab as the primary cause, while the second Africa News piece focuses more on the potential end of the mission and provides additional financial details. The AllAfrica report also notes that the US has provided nearly $2 billion to UN missions in Somalia since 2007, a figure also mentioned in one of the Africa News articles, which adds that the US has given more than $1.6 billion for African troops deployed in Somalia.

The mission's budget last year was $190 million, according to one Africa News report, which also notes that financing has become increasingly difficult, leading to a huge funding shortfall. The report states that the US is one of the largest supporters of the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), whose total budget is projected to top $500 million this year.

Key Claims

The US decision: Washington said it will end critical funding from next year, according to all three reports. In a letter to the AU dated July 1, the US said it was ending payments to the UN Support Office in Somalia at the end of this year, a claim carried by one Africa News report, which also quotes a senior African diplomat who said the decision was "irreversible" and the mission is "finished."

Lack of progress: The US letter accused Somalia's government of failing to "sustain progress against al-Shabaab, take ownership of its security functions, or undertake serious security sector reform," as reported in one Africa News article. The other Africa News report and the AllAfrica report also frame the US decision as being due to the government's lack of progress.

Mission details: The mission has around 12,000 troops, according to all three reports. It has been in Somalia since 2009, as stated in one Africa News report. The mission's budget last year was $190 million, and the US has provided nearly $2 billion to UN missions in Somalia since 2007, as reported in one Africa News report and the AllAfrica report.

Political context: Somalia has been battling the insurgency for around two decades, and al-Shabaab still controls large swathes of the country, according to all reports. The country is currently in the midst of another political crisis, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud having changed the constitution earlier this year, extending his term by another year. Opposition parties and regional governments rejected the changes, leading to violent clashes in several parts of the country, including Mogadishu.

Analyst warning: Zekarias Beshah, an analyst with the Amani Africa think-tank in Ethiopia, is quoted in the AllAfrica report and one Africa News report as saying, "Somalia forces were supposed to gradually take responsibility for security, but it's not happening. The political elite is too busy infighting." He added, "One cannot rule out a major advance by al-Shabaab."

Perspectives

US government: In its letter to the AU, the US said Somalia's government failed to "sustain progress against al-Shabaab, take ownership of its security functions, or undertake serious security sector reform." The US also cited the Somali government's lack of progress in containing the group.

African Union officials: A senior African diplomat told AFP that the US decision was "irreversible" and the mission is "finished." Without UN logistics funded by the US, "we will have to draw a line under our mission in Somalia," the diplomat said.

Somali government: There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the Somali government, according to one Africa News report.