International and regional bodies
Somalia and the African Union
Somalia has been a member of the Organisation of African Unity and the African Union since 25 May 1963. The African Union has kept a mission in Somalia since 2007, now AUSSOM, renewed by the AU to the end of 2026 and short of money. On 6 January 2026 the AU Peace and Security Council condemned Israel's recognition of Somaliland and called for its revocation.
How do Somalia and the African Union relate today?
Somalia is a member of the African Union (AU), listed in the Eastern Africa region (African Union, member state profiles). The AU's third mission in the country, the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), began on 1 January 2025 (AUSSOM, background).
On 15 December 2025 the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) renewed AUSSOM's deployment and mandate for 12 months from 1 January 2026. It asked the UN Security Council to endorse the decision (AU PSC, communiqué 1317, 15 December 2025). The UN did so on 23 December 2025, to 31 December 2026 (AUSSOM, UN Security Council resolutions).
Funding is the main open question. The PSC voiced "deep concern over the persistent financial gaps" and noted that the AU Commission had allocated US$20 million from interest on the AU Peace Fund to AUSSOM's 2025 budget (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
When did Somalia join?
Somalia joined the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the AU's predecessor, on 25 May 1963 (African Union, member state profiles).
In July 1964 the OAU's first Cairo summit adopted resolution AHG/Res. 16(I), by which members pledged to respect the borders inherited at independence. The AU still cites this rule on Somalia today (AU PSC, communiqué 1324, 6 January 2026).
Who represents Somalia at the AU, and who leads the AU's work on Somalia?
- Abdullahi Warfa: Somalia's Permanent Representative to the AU; he spoke for Somalia at the PSC on 15 December 2025 (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
- Abdisalam Abdi Ali: Somalia's foreign minister; he addressed the ministerial PSC meeting on 6 January 2026 (AU PSC, communiqué 1324).
- Mahmoud Ali Youssouf: Chairperson of the AU Commission. On 26 December 2025 he rejected any move to recognise Somaliland as an independent entity (AU PSC, communiqué 1324).
- Bankole Adeoye: AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; he introduced the December 2025 Somalia debate (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
- El Hadji Ibrahima Diene: Special Representative of the AU Commission Chairperson for Somalia (SRCC) and head of AUSSOM (AUSSOM, leadership).
- Mouktar Osman Karie: deputy SRCC and deputy head of AUSSOM (AUSSOM, leadership).
- Lieutenant General Sam Kavuma: AUSSOM force commander (AUSSOM, leadership).
- Hillary Sao Kanu: AUSSOM police commissioner (AUSSOM, leadership).
- General Cheick Dembele: head of the AU's Peace Support Operations Division; he led the joint AU-UN team that visited Somalia from 24 September 2024 to plan AUSSOM (AUSSOM, background).
For the commanders and envoys of the earlier missions, see AMISOM and ATMIS.
Which missions has the AU run in Somalia?
- AMISOM, 2007 to 2022: first authorised by the PSC in 2007 and later mandated by the UN Security Council (AUSSOM, background). See AMISOM.
- ATMIS, 2022 to 2024: the transition mission from 1 April 2022, whose mandate ended on 31 December 2024 (AUSSOM, background). See ATMIS.
- AUSSOM, from 2025: endorsed by the PSC on 1 August 2024 and by the UN Security Council in resolution 2767 on 27 December 2024 (AUSSOM, background). Its goal is to hand security to Somali forces by 2029 (same source). See AUSSOM.
On 25 February 2025 Somalia and the AU agreed AUSSOM troop numbers: Uganda 4,500, Ethiopia 2,500, Djibouti 1,520, Kenya 1,410 and Egypt 1,091 (VOA, 25 February 2025). In December 2025 the PSC welcomed Egypt's readiness to finish deploying, and thanked Burundi and Ghana for keeping personnel in Somalia past 31 December 2025 (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
For all foreign troops, see Foreign forces in Somalia. For the AU and other bodies inside Somalia, see International bodies in Somalia.
What has the Peace and Security Council decided on Somalia?
AUSSOM lists these recent PSC decisions (AUSSOM, PSC communiqués):
- 1 August 2024, 1225th meeting: adopted the concept of operations for the AU-led mission after ATMIS.
- 19 December 2024, 1253rd meeting (ministerial): post-ATMIS security arrangements.
- 29 April 2025, 1276th meeting: update on AUSSOM operations.
- 3 July 2025, 1287th meeting (ministerial): update on Somalia and AUSSOM.
- 15 December 2025, 1317th meeting: renewed AUSSOM for 2026 and asked the AU Commission to keep pressing the UN Security Council to apply resolution 2719 to AUSSOM (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
- 6 January 2026, 1324th meeting (ministerial): on Somalia's sovereignty after Israel's recognition of Somaliland (AU PSC, communiqué 1324).
Who pays for the AU mission?
Resolution 2719 of the UN Security Council, adopted in December 2023, allows up to 75% of an AU-led mission's costs to come from UN assessed contributions (ISS Africa). In May 2025 the Council could not agree to apply it to AUSSOM (Security Council Report, May 2025).
In December 2025 the PSC asked partners to support multiyear financing for AUSSOM and to contribute directly (AU PSC, communiqué 1317). For the UN side, see Somalia and the UN.
How does the AU deal with Somaliland and the member states?
- Israel's recognition of Somaliland: at its 1324th meeting on 6 January 2026 the PSC "strongly condemns and rejects" the recognition and "calls for its immediate revocation" (AU PSC, communiqué 1324). It said that "no actor has the authority or standing to alter the territorial configuration of an AU Member State" (same source). The communiqué refers to Somaliland as the "northern region of Somalia" (same source).
- Partners: on 6 January 2026 the AU Commission Chairperson and the UAE's Minister of State, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, "reaffirmed their support for Somalia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability" (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 January 2026).
- Member states: the PSC encouraged "dialogue, within Somalia, as the only acceptable and viable path" to settle differences between the federal government and the federal member states. It asked the AU Commission to work with IGAD and the EAC to support an inclusive political dialogue (AU PSC, communiqué 1324).
- Elections: in December 2025 the PSC commended Somalia's stated commitment to one-person-one-vote elections (AU PSC, communiqué 1317).
Have there been disputes?
- Ethiopia's place in AUSSOM, 2024: on 22 October 2024 Somalia's foreign ministry said that Ethiopia's "illegal agreement with Somalia's northern region" violated Somalia's sovereignty. It said Somalia "holds the authority to decide which Troop Partner Nation (TPNs) will contribute troops" (Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 October 2024). In February 2025 Ethiopia was given 2,500 places in AUSSOM after talks in Mogadishu (VOA, 25 February 2025).
- Funding: the AU and Somalia have asked for UN assessed funding under resolution 2719; the UN Security Council has not agreed (Security Council Report, May 2025).
Related pages
Sources
- African Union, member state profiles · au.int
- AUSSOM, background · au-ssom.org
- AU PSC, communiqué 1317, 15 December 2025 · au-ssom.org
- AUSSOM, UN Security Council resolutions · au-ssom.org
- AU PSC, communiqué 1324, 6 January 2026 · au-ssom.org
- AUSSOM, leadership · au-ssom.org
- VOA, 25 February 2025 · voanews.com
- AUSSOM, PSC communiqués · au-ssom.org
- ISS Africa · issafrica.org
- Security Council Report, May 2025 · securitycouncilreport.org
- UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 January 2026 · mofa.gov.ae
- Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 October 2024 · web.mfa.gov.so
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Connected
Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Somalia and the United NationsSomalia at the UN since 1960: membership, Security Council seats, UNOSOM, UNPOS, UNSOM and UNTMIS, envoys, key resolutions, and the Somaliland question.
- Somalia and IGADSomalia in IGAD: founding member since 1986, the IGAD mission in Mogadishu, the people who lead it, recent statements on Somali politics, and Somaliland.
- Somalia and the Arab LeagueSomalia in the Arab League since 1974: why it joined, Arab aid and loans, debt talks with Arab funds, and the League's stance on Somaliland in 2025.
- Somalia and the OICSomalia in the OIC since 1969: the Rabat summit, the 2011 famine office, the contact group, Islamic Development Bank loans and the Somaliland resolutions.
- Somalia and the EACSomalia in the East African Community: the 2012 application, admission in 2023, full membership on 4 March 2024, the people who led it, and Somaliland.
- Somalia and the European UnionSomalia and the EU: EEC association, Operation Atalanta from 2008, EUTM and EUCAP Somalia, the EU Special Representative, aid and debt relief, and Somaliland.